Thiruvananthapuram:  Sasthra Sahithya Parishad has expressed its displeasure with the decision of the state government to implement the PM SHRI school project by yielding to the financial pressure of the central government. Parishad president T K Meerabai and General Secretary P V Divakaran have said that the project which subverts the federal nature of the governance structure and creates a serious impact on public education should not be signed. 

When the Central government said that it would not pay the amount for Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK), Kerala was obliged to implement PM SHRI. The Parishad’s criticism is that the project is part of the short-cuts to impose the ideology of authoritarianism and communalism. 

Parishad’s arguments

  • The center aims to implement a uniform classroom.
  • PM SHRI school will be under the control of the center. Plans to implement National Education Policy.
  • The center will decide the curriculum in these schools.
  • Teacher recruitment, qualification monitoring, etc., will be as per the National Education Policy.
  • The center will get the benefits of effective implementation of the scheme by the state government.

Arguments of the state government

  • A total of 332 schools will receive Rs 1008 crore as central allocation for five years.
  • Rs 978.53 crores will be lost if the scheme is not implemented. 
  • The center will not grant the Rs 187.78 crore for SSK fund for 2023-24, the Rs 165.40 crore for the STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States) scheme, and the Rs 385.35 crore for 2024-25.