Kerala CM Asserts State's Autonomy in School Curriculum Decisions

Kerala Government's Stand on School Curriculum Autonomy

On Wednesday, Kerala's Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan emphasized that the state government believes the central authority should not interfere in determining the school curriculum. He announced the formation of a cabinet sub-committee comprising four ministers to discuss the PM SHRI scheme and convey the state's stance to the central government. This decision was made during a cabinet meeting chaired by Satheesan.

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The sub-committee will include ministers N. Shamsudheen, Roji M. John, P.C. Vishnunath, and M. Liju. Satheesan stated that the state should also have the freedom to select the schools where this scheme will be implemented. He mentioned that Kerala has received ₹99 crores under the 'Prime Minister Schools for Rising India' (PM SHRI) initiative, with the central government approving ₹106 crores for this program. He noted that the previous government had already entered into an agreement with the center to implement this scheme and had secured funding for it, which necessitates the continuation of this initiative.

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The PM SHRI scheme is a government initiative aimed at enhancing and modernizing over 14,500 existing schools across the country. Kerala signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to join the PM SHRI scheme to release the stalled funds for 'Samagra Shiksha' (SSK). The CPI(M)-led left government had halted the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme shortly after signing the MoU with the center last October, due to objections from its coalition partner, CPI.