Minister says UDF will decide on PM SHRI soon
UDF leadership to take final call on PM SHRI scheme in Keralam
Indiadailyupdate.com – Keralam’s government is preparing for a leadership-level discussion on whether to proceed with the PM SHRI school initiative after the Union government sought a clear response from the state. General education minister N Shamsudheen said the decision will not be made by his department alone and will instead be taken collectively by the chief minister and the United Democratic Front leadership.
The renewed communication from New Delhi has brought back a politically sensitive education issue that has remained unresolved despite an earlier agreement signed by the previous Left Democratic Front government. The Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India, or PM SHRI, programme is designed to improve selected government schools and develop them as model institutions aligned with the National Education Policy 2020.
Centre seeks Keralam’s consent
Shamsudheen said the Union education secretary had written to the state’s chief secretary, asking Keralam to communicate its position on the scheme. The minister said the Centre had indicated that further progress depends on the state’s agreement.
“We have got another communication from the Union government asking us to convey our decision regarding PM-SHRI. They said that the scheme can be taken forward only with our consent. The letter was sent by the Union education secretary to the chief secretary”.
The minister made clear that the reply will follow political consultations within the ruling alliance. He said the chief minister would communicate the eventual decision after discussions with the UDF leadership.
“I cannot decide on it alone. The chief minister and the UDF leadership will sit together and discuss it. The CM will convey the final decision,” the minister said.
The matter carries significance because accepting the scheme could allow the state to pursue infrastructure upgrades at participating government schools, while the political debate has focused on concerns about its wider educational and ideological implications.
Reservations remain within the UDF
Shamsudheen, who belongs to the Indian Union Muslim League, said the UDF had opposed PM SHRI before the elections held in April and May. That earlier position continues to shape the alliance’s approach, with leaders expected to examine the scheme’s details before settling on a course of action.
“We still hold reservations about it. Therefore, its details need to be examined,” he said.
In Keralam, PM SHRI has become more than a question of school facilities or administrative participation. Both the Left Democratic Front and the ruling United Democratic Front have raised objections to what they describe as a broader ideological project associated with the BJP-RSS. Their concern has been that the programme could promote “majoritarian nationalism” among students and contribute to the “saffronisation” of education in states.
Those objections place the UDF in a difficult position. The alliance must weigh its reservations against the fact that the state had already entered into an agreement on the programme during the tenure of the previous government. The coming consultations are therefore likely to address both the terms of the earlier commitment and the safeguards Keralam believes are necessary for its school system.
Earlier MoU left implementation on hold
The previous LDF administration signed a memorandum of understanding in Delhi in 2025 for implementation of PM SHRI. However, concerns expressed by the Communist Party of India led the LDF government to put implementation on hold rather than move ahead with the scheme.
That decision created an unresolved policy question for the government that followed. In June, chief minister VD Satheesan said Keralam remained a signatory and could not simply step away voluntarily because the earlier government had signed the MoU. He said the UDF administration had been compelled to implement the arrangement in those circumstances.
At the same time, Satheesan drew a boundary on the issue of academic control. He said the state would not permit outside interference in deciding the curriculum taught in schools covered by the programme. This distinction is central to the state’s debate: participation in a school-improvement scheme does not, in the UDF’s view, mean surrendering authority over what students are taught.
What the national programme seeks to achieve
PM SHRI is intended to upgrade 14,500 schools across the country. The programme is expected to benefit 1.8 million students and aims to develop participating institutions as examples for other schools. Along with better infrastructure, the plan envisions schools that reflect the objectives and spirit of NEP 2020.
For families, teachers and school administrators in Keralam, the immediate question is whether the state will accept the scheme’s framework and move toward implementation, or continue to hold back while examining its conditions. The outcome could affect how selected government schools access planned improvements and how the state defines its role in shaping their educational environment.
The Centre’s latest letter has made a formal response necessary, but Shamsudheen’s remarks indicate that no individual minister will decide the issue in isolation. The final position will rest with the chief minister and the UDF leadership after they consider the political commitments, the previous MoU and the state’s concerns over curriculum and educational autonomy.
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