The Education Ministry has ceased funding under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) to Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal, citing their reluctance to join the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme. With a budget of over Rs 27,000 crore for the next five years, the PM-SHRI initiative aims to upgrade 14,500 government schools to exemplar institutions in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The funding arrangement requires the Centre to cover 60% of the costs and the states the remaining 40%, contingent upon states signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Education Ministry.

Five states—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal—are yet to sign the MoU. While Tamil Nadu and Kerala have shown willingness, Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal have refused, prompting the Centre to withhold their SSA funds. These states have not received the last two installments for the previous financial year's October-December and January-March quarters, nor the first installment for the current financial year's April-June quarter.

Delhi is awaiting around Rs 330 crore, Punjab approximately Rs 515 crore, and West Bengal over Rs 1,000 crore for the three quarters. Despite multiple letters and reminders from the states, the Education Ministry has not responded to queries about the fund stoppage or the pending amounts.

A senior ministry official stated that states cannot continue to receive SSA funds without implementing the PM-SHRI scheme, a part of the overall program. Delhi and Punjab, governed by the Aam Aadmi Party, have refused to participate, citing their existing “Schools of Eminence” programs. West Bengal opposes prefixing “PM-SHRI” to their schools' names, especially since states bear 40% of the costs.

West Bengal’s Education Minister Bratya Basu and Education Secretary Manish Jain wrote to the Ministry seeking the release of SSA funds. The Delhi government has also reached out to the Centre. Documents reveal a series of correspondences between the Centre and Punjab since July 2023, including a letter from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, urging the state to join the project. Despite this, Punjab reiterated its decision to opt out of the scheme.

Punjab initially agreed to implement PM-SHRI, signing an MoU in October 2022, but later backed out. On March 9, Pradhan reminded Mann that Punjab had unilaterally opted out of the scheme, contrary to the signed MoU terms. On March 15, Punjab’s education secretary Kamal Kishor Yadav reaffirmed the state's decision, emphasising their own “Schools of Eminence,” “Schools of Brilliance,” and “Schools of Happiness” aligned with NEP.

Despite ongoing requests from Punjab's education department for pending SSA funds, including a January 18 letter from Samagra Shiksha state project director Vinay Bublani to the Ministry, and a March 27 letter from Mann to Pradhan highlighting the severe impact on school activities, funds remain unreleased. Punjab’s education secretary also reported a lack of balance in the Single Nodal Account of Samagra Shiksha, affecting payments, including employees' salaries.

In Delhi, the financial crunch has delayed salaries for around 2,400 MCD primary school teachers and 700 Samagra Shiksha staffers. “Of the amount that was due from the two installments in the last academic session, the state government provided around Rs 200 crore. With that, salaries were managed. However, since April 1, salaries have been pending for teachers and staff. These funds are also used to provide textbooks and uniforms to students in government schools, and to support differently abled children,” said a Delhi official.

Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains expressed concern over the impasse, warning that the inability to pay salaries might worsen. Bains criticised the PM-SHRI scheme, stating that it focuses on revamping established schools rather than creating new ones, and suggesting that the Centre's intent was to mark existing state schools with the PM-SHRI name.

Image source: India Express