13 states, 3 UTs sign MoU for upgradation to PM-Shri schools

NEW DELHI: As many as 13 states and 3 Union Territories have signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education to upgrade their schools under the Pradhan Mantri Schools For Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme.

"Till date, 13 States and 3 UTs along with the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) have signed the MOU with the Ministry of Education for PM Shri Schools and many states including the ones being governed by the Opposition have shown interest in the PM Shri Scheme," the Ministry of Education told ANI.

"Soon many states will sign MoU with Education Ministry for PM Shri Schools and we are receiving good response from states and Union Territories for PM Shri Schools," an official of the Education Ministry, on the condition of anonymity said.

The official further said that MoU for PM Shri Schools has been received by Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Punjab along with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Sangathan (NVS).

"The upper limit for each state is two schools per block. MoU is the first stage.

The states would still have to go through the next two stages before reaching the stage of final selection of the schools," the official said further.

The PM Shri Schools are said to be a new scheme for the development of more than 14,500 schools across the nation as it will strengthen the selected schools by being managed with the help of the Central Government, State or UT Government, or the local bodies.

These schools will also showcase the components of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and would act as exemplary schools. It will also offer mentorship to other schools in its vicinity.

The PM SHRI schools will also deliver quality teaching for the cognitive development of students and will strive to create and nurture holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key skills of the 21st century.

The scheme of PM SHRI schools is to be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a total project cost of Rs 27,360 crore which would include a central share of Rs 18,128 crore for the period of five academic sessions starting from 2022-23 to 2026-27.

These schools are scheduled to be developed as Green schools, which will incorporate environment-friendly aspects like solar panels and LED lights, nutrition gardens with natural farming, waste management, plastic-free, water conservation and harvesting, the study of traditions or practices related to the protection of the environment, climate change related hackathon and generating awareness to adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

The schools will be focused on the learning outcomes of every child in every grade.

The assessment at all levels will be based on conceptual understanding and application of knowledge to real-life situations and will be competency-based.

The scheme envisages convergence with existing schemes /Panchayati Raj Institutions/ Urban Local bodies and community participation for infrastructure upgradation of the school and creation of facilities. PM Shri Schools would be implemented through the existing administrative structure available for Samagra Shiksha, KVS and NVS.

The other autonomous bodies would be involved as required on a specific project basis. These schools shall be monitored vigorously to assess progress and understand the challenges faced in the implementation of National Education Policy 2020.

PM Shri schools will be selected through Challenge Mode wherein the schools will compete for support to become 'exemplars'. The schools will be required to self-apply on the online portal, which will open four times a year- once every quarter- for first two years of the scheme.

For stage 1, the States and UTs would sign MoU agreeing to implement NEP in the entirety with the Centre and laying down the commitments for supporting these schools for achieving specified quality assurance as PM SHRI schools.

In stage 2, a pool of schools eligible to be selected as PM SHRI Schools would be identified on the basis of the prescribed minimum benchmark through UDISE+ data. Stage 3 involves the challenge method for fulfilling certain criteria.

Only the schools from the eligible pool would compete to fulfil these challenge conditions. The fulfilment of conditions would be then certified by States, KVS, or JNV through physical inspection.

These shall verify the claims reported by the schools and recommend a list to the Ministry. A maximum of two schools (one elementary and one Secondary or Senior Secondary) would be selected from each block/ULB with the upper limit of the total number of schools across India. The geo-tagging of schools for the selection and monitoring of PM SHRI schools will be done.

The services of Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) will be taken for geo-tagging and other related tasks. An Expert committee would be constituted for the final selection of schools.

More than 18 lakh students are expected to be direct beneficiaries of the scheme. Further impact will be generated through the mentoring and handholding of the schools in the vicinity of PM SHRI schools.