Kerala’s PM SHRI freeze has only ‘paper value’: Union minister George Kurian
George Kurian said that the state must not jeopardise children’s future. He also said that school students are citizens entitled to education, and the government has no right to deny it.
Union Minister George Kurian on Friday (October 31) said the Kerala government’s decision to issue a letter seeking to freeze further procedures under the PM SHRI scheme signed with the Centre will have only "paper value".
The state government has frozen the MoU signed by it with the Centre following a disagreement with its LDF ally, CPI, over the matter.
Also Read: Pinarayi govt puts PM SHRI scheme on hold following CPI pushback
Kurian compared the move to State Assemblies passing ordinances against laws enacted by Parliament, and said that the Union Education Ministry would take a final decision on the matter.
He said the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP). "Let the state government claim they have won. They don’t want the saffron money," he said.
'Future of children at stake'
Kurian stressed that both NEP and PM SHRI were central initiatives. He added that the implementation depended on the state. "The state should not put the future of children at stake. School students are citizens of the country and have the right to education. The state government cannot block it," he said.
He alleged that the state government was depriving students from poor families of opportunities by freezing the PM SHRI scheme.
Also Read: Why signing PM SHRI does not mean ceding ideological ground
Kurian said the NEP-based curriculum focuses on skill enhancement. "From Class 6, students are given vocational training and taught about manufacturing processes. From Class 9 onward, they receive skill-based training, and by Class 12, they acquire skills for self-employment or various vocations," he said.
He added that there should be no concerns regarding the curriculum after signing up for the PM SHRI scheme, as education comes under the Concurrent List.
ABVP seeks PM intervention
"The NCERT only provides a broad framework for the curriculum. It is the SCERT that decides the state’s syllabus," Kurian said.
Meanwhile, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) Kerala sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting that the state government’s request to freeze the MoU signed for PM SHRI be dismissed.
Also Read: Confusion deepens in LDF after Kerala signs PM SHRI deal with Centre
In the letter, ABVP claimed that the state government’s decision is purely political and is against students' interests.
The letter sought Modi's intervention to ensure the scheme's benefits reach the students who need them most.
(With inputs from agency)