The PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme, launched in 2022, aims to upgrade around 14,500 existing schools—run by the Centre, states, or local bodies—into model schools that embody the principles of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. These institutions are designed to serve as “exemplars”, showcasing NEP-based reforms in pedagogy, infrastructure, teacher training, and student assessment.
The PM-SHRI is a centrally sponsored scheme with a 60:40 Centre–State funding ratio (90:10 for Northeastern states, UTs, and Himalayan regions). Funds are released based on the School Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF), which evaluates performance and the extent of NEP-aligned transformation. This results-based funding mechanism aims to ensure transparency and accountability in resource utilization.
The PM-SHRI scheme is implemented through the Samagra Shiksha platform—the government’s flagship umbrella programme for school education launched in 2018. Samagra Shiksha merged earlier schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, and the Teacher Education Programme into a single comprehensive framework.
It provides funding support for infrastructure, inclusive education, digital learning, and teacher capacity-building. Within this structure, PM-SHRI identifies select schools to function as model institutions, driving innovation and best practices that can be replicated across the wider education system.
The Kerala government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre to implement PM-SHRI, after previously declining to participate. The issue carries strong political and federal undertones:
• The CPI(M)-led LDF government initially opposed PM-SHRI due to its association with NEP 2020, which Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal had rejected.
• Critics argued that adopting NEP-linked initiatives could dilute state autonomy in education, a subject primarily under the State List of the Constitution.
• Kerala’s recent decision to join followed assurances from the Centre that states would retain curricular and administrative autonomy.
While education is a Concurrent List subject under the Constitution—allowing both the Centre and states to legislate—the PM-SHRI scheme has reignited debates on cooperative federalism in education policy.
• Some states argue that central schemes linked to NEP 2020 indirectly pressure them to align with national frameworks, limiting their policy freedom.
• The Centre maintains that participation is voluntary and offers states additional financial support to improve school quality and equity.
• By routing funds through Samagra Shiksha, the Union government retains administrative leverage in implementation, highlighting the tension between autonomy and coordination.
Kerala: Initially resisted the scheme but later agreed to implement it after clarifications on preserving state autonomy.
Tamil Nadu and West Bengal: Continue to withhold participation, citing opposition to NEP 2020 and concerns over federal overreach.
Delhi and Punjab: Have opted to participate, aligning PM-SHRI with their existing school reform initiatives under the same framework.
PM-SHRI aims to develop model schools aligned with NEP 2020 through the Samagra Shiksha platform. Kerala’s recent decision to implement the scheme after initial resistance has revived debates over Centre–State relations in education. While the Centre views it as a quality-improvement initiative, some states see it as encroachment on autonomy. With a 60:40 funding model and NEP linkage, PM-SHRI embodies both an opportunity and a test of cooperative federalism.
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