The Delhi government has decided to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central government to implement the Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India Scheme.The Ministry of Education had stopped releasing funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal due to their reluctance to participate in the PM-SHRI scheme.
Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan
- Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is an integrated scheme for school education, extending from pre-school to class 12, aimed at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels of school education.
- It subsumes 3 schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE).
- The main emphasis of this scheme is to improve the quality of school education by focusing on two ‘T’ – Teacher and Technology.
- This scheme is being implemented as a centrally sponsored scheme.
- The ratio of fund sharing between the Center and the states for this scheme is 90:10 for the North-East and Himalayan states and 60:40 for all other states and Union Territories with legislature.
PM-SHRI Scheme
- The PM-SHRI scheme launched by the Government of India in the year 2022 is a centrally supported initiative designed to establish more than 14,500 PM-SHRI schools by improving existing schools to demonstrate the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. • Its primary objective is to create an inclusive and nurturing environment that promotes the well-being and safety of each student, provides diverse learning experiences and access to quality infrastructure and resources.
- The funding ratio is 60:40 between the Central and State Governments and Union Territories with legislature (except Jammu & Kashmir).
- The North Eastern, Himalayan region and Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir get a 90:10 share while Union Territories without legislature receive 100% central funding.
- States have to confirm their participation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Education.
Duration of the Scheme
- The duration of the scheme is from the session 2022-23 to 2026-27, after which it will be the responsibility of the States/UTs to maintain the benchmarks achieved by these schools.
Key features of PM-SHRI Schools
- These schools will focus on holistic development of students, including communication, collaboration and critical thinking skills.
- Teaching methods will be experiential, inquiry-based and learner-centred.
- The schools will have modern laboratories, libraries, art rooms and promote ‘green’ initiatives such as water conservation and waste recycling.
- They have modern facilities including smart classrooms, computer labs, integrated science labs, vocational labs/skills labs and Atal tinkering labs.
- Learning outcomes will be prioritised and competency-based assessment will be done that will apply knowledge in real-life situations.