Kerala government has signed MoU on PM SHRI: State Education Department

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government signed an MoU on Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India, or commonly called the PM SHRI scheme, said Director General of Public Education in Kerala, Umesh N S K, on Monday.

During an interaction, the Director General of Public Education in Kerala stated that Sanjay Kumar, the secretary of the Department of School Education, has welcomed the signing of the scheme and expressed appreciation for the Kerala Model.

“The Kerala government has now signed the MoU on PM SHRI today. Secretary of the Department of School Education Sanjay Kumar has given clarity that he welcomed Kerala signing the PM SHRI and he was very appreciative of the Kerala model…,” said Umesh.

#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala: On the PM SHRI scheme, Director General of Public Education in Kerala, Umesh N. S. K., says, “The Kerala government has now signed the MoU on PM SHRI today. Secretary of the Department of School Education Sanjay Kumar has given clarity that he… pic.twitter.com/MzuydmZmjs

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According to Kerala’s Director General of Public Education, the Department of School Education’s secretary has clarified that the states have the freedom to formulate their own curricula, and that the NEP 2020 policy is a template and not mandatory to enforce, as education falls under the Concurrent List.

“He clarified that (NEP 2020) it is a template and there is nothing called mandatory because education is in the Concurrent List. It’s a template based on which the state can formulate its policy, and very importantly, the most important bone of contention has been the curriculum, and he clearly clarified that states have the freedom to formulate their own curriculum…,” added Umesh.

Meanwhile, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty announced a new initiative in a Facebook post on Sunday to construct houses for 50 meritorious students who won gold medals in the Kerala State School Olympics but come from economically weaker backgrounds.

The minister said the CPM Idukki District Committee will build a house for Idukki native Devapriya, while Kerala Scouts and Guides will construct one for Kozhikode’s Devananda. Sivankutty urged individuals and organisations to contact the Public Education Department to sponsor houses under the scheme and stated that the response so far has been encouraging.

“I personally witnessed the condition of the homes of some athletes who participated in the State School Olympics. Some have won gold and set meet records. Devapriya is a native of Idukki. The CPI M. Idukki District Committee has announced that it will provide a house. Kerala Scouts and Guides under the Department of General Education. A house will be built for Devananda, a native of Kozhikode.

“I understand that there are many people like this. Therefore, the Department of Public Education is embarking on a major project. This scheme provides houses to deserving students who have won gold at the Kerala School Olympics. The current target is to provide fifty houses. Various organisations have been contacted for this. The response has been very positive”, said Sivankutty. (ANI)