NEW DELHI: Kerala Education and Labour Minister P Sivankutty on Friday urged the Centre to release funds to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore due to the State under numerous national educational programmes. He also sought more time from the Centre to implement the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India), a central scheme under the National Education Policy, 2020.
Briefing newspersons in New Delhi after meeting Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan at his office on Friday, Sivankutty said, “We have taken the stand that we want more time to implement the scheme. The Left parties have a critical opinion about the NEP. We have sought more time from the Centre.”
The Minister said, “If we sign the PM SHRI scheme in the morning, the Centre assured us that we will get the money by evening. We cannot let go of Rs 1,500 crore,” he said.
Many of the guidelines under NEP have already been implemented by Kerala, Sivankutty said. “Withholding of funds just because we object to the display of `PM SHRI school’ boards in front of the institutions receiving the funds is a violation of the 2009 Right to Education Act,” he elaborated. “We will explore all avenues to get the money released, including taking the legal route, he added.
Elaborating on the challenges faced by Kerala due to the withholding of funds, the Minister said, “A total of 7,000 teachers have to be paid, free uniform and school text books need to be provided, grants for library, sports, schemes relating to the girl child and differently abled students need to be released – all these will be strained if the Centre does not release the money.” It was a cordial meeting but nothing substantial happened, he added.
Kerala’s objection to “saffronise” and ‘communalise” the education system through NCERT textbooks was also taken up at the NCERT Council meet on Friday.
Pradhan expresses the Centre’s commitment to NEP
The Centre is committed towards redefining education as envisioned in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 as well as fulfilling the educational priorities of Kerala, Pradhan said.
Releasing a statement after meeting Sivankutty, Pradhan said, “We held fruitful discussions on strengthening the school education landscape, fostering a more engaging learning environment and equipping the children of Kerala with knowledge and skills to thrive in the 21st century.”
The NEP aims to transform the Indian education system by modernising it and it replaces the previous policy of 1986. The Southern States, particularly Tamil Nadu, have strongly opposed the three-language policy proposed by NEP 2020. Tamil Nadu has vehemently opposed it and billed it a `Hindutva policy’ by stating that it prioritises Hindi and Sanskrit over regional languages while Kerala's response to it has been measured.