1. PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) Schools Scheme.
Theme : Education
GS - 2
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Context
- What is the PM SHRI scheme?
- School Education related features.
- Difference between Kendriya Vidyalayas(KVs), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) & PM SHRI Schools Scheme.
- Challenges on the Way
- Road Ahead
Context :
PM has announced that under the PM SHRI Scheme, as many as 14,500 schools will be “upgraded” across India to showcase the components of the National Education Policy, 2020. It has been highlighted that the success of the PM SHRI schools scheme will depend on the quality of educators.
What is the PM SHRI scheme?
- The Union Cabinet approved the ‘PM Schools for Rising India’ (PM SHRI) scheme to turn existing government schools into model schools .
- It will showcase all components of the National Education Policy 2020, act as exemplary schools and also offer mentorship to other schools in their vicinity.
- The PM SHRI will act as “NEP labs”.
- The scheme will be implemented as a Centrally sponsored scheme with a total project cost of 27,360 crore for the period of five years from 2022-23 to 2026-27 for transforming nearly 14,500 schools across the country.
School Education related features :
- Development of ‘Green schools’: These will be equipped with solar panels, LED lights, nutrition gardens, and waste management, water conservation and harvesting systems.
- Modern facilities : including ICT (information and communication technologies) facility, smart classrooms, library, digital library, science labs and vocational labs etc. Schools will also get science and math kits and annual school grants for libraries or sports.
- Mother tongue and local languages to be encouraged.
- It will provide high-quality education in an “equitable, inclusive and joyful environment that takes care of the diverse background, multilingual needs and different academic abilities of children”.
Difference between Kendriya Vidyalayas(KVs), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) & PM SHRI Schools Scheme :
- PM SHRI Schools will be Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
- Kendriya Vidyalayas or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas come entirely under the Centre’s Ministry of Education. They are fully funded by the Union government under Central Sector Schemes.
- While KVs largely cater to children of Union government employees posted in states and UTs, JNVs were set up to nurture talented students in rural parts of the country.
- PM SHRI schools will be an upgrade of existing schools run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies.
- This essentially means that PM SHRI schools can either be KVs, JNVs, state government schools or even those run by municipal corporations.
Challenges on the Way :
- The PM SHRI schools scheme comes at a time when the schooling system is in a disbalanced situation.
- Teachers seem to be caught in a time warp after the pandemic and the anxieties of children are increasing because of the switch to online classes during the public health emergency and then the pivot back to regular schooling.
- Confused school managements and parents are finding it difficult to address learning gaps.
- Currently, poor status, low salaries and inadequate working conditions deter talented people from entering the profession.
- Improving the quality of education is not just extremely challenging but also an expensive proposition, especially in countries that have large socio-economic gaps.
Road Ahead :
- For the PM SHRI schools to succeed, a teacher training programme must be in place to train the educators in the pedagogical practices proposed by the NEP.
- These schools will need to find ways to reverse learning losses and ensure life outcomes that have a positive bearing on the nation’s economy,Especially in the ways the country uses its demographic dividend.