PM SHRI 

Context

Key Points

• According to the Ministry of Education, the Scheme will be called PM SHRI Schools (PM Schools for Rising India).
• Under the scheme, 14, 500 schools across India's states and Union Territories will be redeveloped to reflect the key features of the NEP, 2020.
• The idea was first discussed with the Education Ministers of states and UTs during a conference organised by the Ministry of Education in June at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• The Centre has held many rounds of discussion with the states on the implementation of the scheme.
• The idea of PM SHRI was to create a set of schools that would be able to act as "NEP labs".

Features of NEP

• The NEP for schools envisages a curricular structure and teaching style categorised into four stages: Foundational, Preparatory, Middle and Secondary.
• According to the NEP, the foundational years (Pre-school and grades I and II) should involve play-based learning.
• At the preparatory level (Grades III-V), light textbooks are to be introduced along with some formal classroom teaching.

• It also proposed that board exams be held twice a year, including one for helping students to improve their scores and that two types of papers on mathematics should be offered a standard paper and a different one to test higher levels of competency.

Centrally sponsored scheme

• A centrally sponsored scheme is one in which the cost of implementation is mostly split in a 60: 40 ratio between the Union government and the States/UTs.
• The mid-day meal scheme (now PM Poshan) or the PM Awas Yojana are examples of centrally sponsored schemes.
• In the case of the Northeastern states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and UTs without legislatures, the Centre's contribution can go up to 90 per cent.

KVs and JNVs 

• Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) 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 central 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 a PM SHRI school can be an upgraded KV, JNV or even a school that is run by a state government or a municipal corporation.

Selection Process 

1. The portal will be opened four times a year, once every quarter, for the first two years of the scheme.
2. The selection methodology decided by the central government, states and UTs interested in getting included under the scheme will have to first agree to implement the NEP in its entirety. Only those schools that meet a certain benchmark will qualify the qualification criteria will include around 60 parameters from the availability of electricity to toilets.
3. In the third stage, teams of state government officials, KVs and JNVs will verify the claims made by the applicant school through a physical inspection.

Differences 

• PM SHRI schools will be different from existing government-run schools remains to be seen as per the plan, the upgraded schools are expected to be superior in terms of infrastructure.

• These schools will also "offer mentorship" to other schools in their vicinity.

Quality of Education

• There will be special modules on improving foundational literacy and numeracy.
• Each school will be linked/ connected to higher education institutions for mentoring and there will be provisions for internships with local artisans.

For Prelims &Mains