Kerala's Reversal On PM SHRI: In a major policy turnaround, Kerala has signed the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aligning with the central initiative to showcase the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020-a policy it had consistently opposed for ideological reasons.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed the decision, saying, "Better late than never. I thank Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Education Minister V. Sivankutty for supporting the PM SHRI scheme and agreeing to play a collaborative role in implementing the NEP."
However, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) coalition government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had, until recently, stood firm with Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in refusing to join the scheme, arguing that the NEP promotes centralisation, commercialisation, and a communal narrative in school curricula.
What sparked the Reversal?
The Financial Trigger
The change in Kerala's stance came after the Centre withheld Rs 456.01 crore in Samagra Shiksha funds for 2025-26 because the state had not joined PM SHRI. Dues from previous years of Rs 513.54 crore (2024-25) and Rs 188.58 crore (2023-24), were also pending, bringing the total withheld amount to Rs 1,158.13 crore.
According to the Kerala government, this directly affected 40 lakh students from marginalised sections studying in government and aided schools. Benefits such as free uniforms, textbooks, pre-primary education, special aids for 1.8 lakh differently abled students, and allowances for girls were disrupted.
State education Minister V. Sivankutty said the state could not afford to forgo the funds at a time of financial strain. "We will not allow even a single rupee meant for our children to be lost," he said.
By signing the MoU, the state will now receive the withheld arrears and two years of PM SHRI funding, totalling Rs 1,476.13 crore, including Rs 971 crore assured under Samagra Shiksha Kerala.
Kerala's Justification: "A Tactical Move"
Minister Sivankutty has called the signing a "tactical decision" rather than a policy reversal. He clarified that Kerala's curriculum, framed under the Kerala Curriculum Framework (KCF) 2023, will remain untouched.
While opposition leaders drew sharp remarks on the issue when BJP state president K Surendran mocked CPI's protests, calling them irrelevant. "Kerala has finally signed PM SHRI. Better late than never. CPI has no relevance in Kerala. At first, they shout, but later they surrender...In the end, NEP will be accepted...everything the Centre brings in will be executed in Kerala," Surendran wrote in a Facebook post.
Rejecting Surendran's claim that the curriculum would include RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar and V.D. Savarkar, Minister Sivankutty said, "The MoU is only to secure funds for improving infrastructure and academic standards. It will not result in surrendering the state's syllabus to the Centre," adding that such allegations are "false propaganda". "Kerala's education system is strong and independent. The historical truth that Nathuram Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi will not be erased from our textbooks," he said.
The minister added that Kerala had introduced several NEP-aligned reforms including pre-primary education, teacher training, and the three-language formula well before the NEP was launched. "Kerala is far ahead of PM SHRI mandates," he said.
What is then Kerala's Stand On The NEP?
The state insists that signing the PM SHRI MoU does not imply acceptance of the NEP in its entirety. Sivankutty said Kerala will continue to resist any attempt to "push the RSS agenda through education" while implementing only those aspects that align with its academic vision.
He cited Kerala's Higher Education Department, which earlier signed up for the PM-USHA scheme under similar conditions, yet continued with its own reforms. "Even now, less than 30 per cent of the Central policy has been implemented," he said.
The government emphasised that under the PM SHRI MoU, schools are allowed to follow state curriculum frameworks developed in accordance with the new pedagogical structure. Sivankutty said that Kerala's curriculum already incorporates the necessary changes and "will continue to reflect secularism, scientific thought, and constitutional values, no matter who sits in Delhi."
Dissent Within The Left Front
The Communist Party of India (CPI), a key LDF partner, reacted sharply to the decision, calling it a violation of coalition discipline. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said, "There were no discussions about the MoU in the cabinet or in the LDF. It was brought up twice and set aside both times. The final decision was taken without consulting alliance partners. This is not the LDF's way."
CPI central committee member Prakash Babu said the government's move amounted to indirect acceptance of the NEP. "It is a political demand that the state government should withdraw from PM SHRI," he said. "The education minister's claim that the National Education Policy will not be implemented is incorrect, implementation of the NEP is the first condition of the PM SHRI MoU."
Viswam added that the CPI was not against improving schools but would oppose any effort to compromise the state's curriculum. "All academic content will continue to be decided by SCERT-Kerala," he said.
The opposition Congress has also said Kerala's participation in PM SHRI exposed "deep fissures" within the LDF and accused the government of "surrendering" to the Centre.
Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan questioned the rationale behind the move, saying, "While the education minister claims there is a financial crisis, the chief minister and finance minister insist there isn't one. If public schools have already reached international standards through KIIFB funds, why surrender to the scheme?"
Backing the NEP, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the policy has "transformed education from rote learning to real-world problem-solving." Speaking at the NEP Conclave, he said, "earlier, education meant memorising books and reproducing answers, now, students can design their own degrees- this flexibility never existed before".
The Broader Context: What PM SHRI Entails
Launched in September 2022, the PM SHRI scheme aims to upgrade 14,500 existing government schools into model institutions aligned with the NEP's vision. The Rs. 27,360 crore program, with Rs. 18,128 crore follows a 60:40 funding ratio between the Centre and the states and will run until March 2027, benefitting around 1.8 million students.
The scheme requires participating states to implement NEP provisions in full, including the NCERT curriculum. This means PM SHRI schools in Kerala will follow the Central syllabus, while the rest of the state-run schools will continue with the Kerala syllabus, effectively creating a dual system within the state.
Kerala has expressed confidence that its strong curriculum and state control will prevent any ideological shift. "The Centre's attempts to distort history will not work here," said Sivankutty.
Kerala signed the PM SHRI MoU on October 23, ending months of standoff. The move ensures the release of long-pending funds but has exposed internal tensions within the ruling coalition. As Tamil Nadu and West Bengal continue to stay out of PM SHRI, Kerala's U-turn underscores the tightrope regional governments walk balancing financial dependence on the Centre with ideological opposition to its education policies.
