The Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) initiative in Telangana is facing challenges just over a year after its launch. The program aimed to combine the best educational practices from around the world with indigenous practices from within the country. It was launched in 2022 and planned to develop 14,500 schools into quality educational institutions over five years.
In the first phase of the program, 543 PM SHRI Schools were selected, including 56 elementary schools and 487 secondary and senior secondary schools. Most of these schools belong to the Zilla Parishad Schools, with others run by different educational institutions in Telangana.
Before the start of the academic year 2023-24, the Department of School Education and Literacy informed the selection of schools and requested the preparation of Annual Work Plan & Budget proposals. The success of the PM SHRI scheme depends on the cooperation and coordination of all states and union territories.
Under the scheme, 60 percent of the implementation cost is covered by the central government, while the remaining 40 percent is the responsibility of the state government. However, headmasters of Zilla Parishad Schools have been facing financial difficulties due to a lack of maintenance grants for the past six months.
MLC AlugubelliNarsi Reddy has called for immediate intervention from the State Director of School Education to release funds for these schools. The funds can be reimbursed once the budget is released. It is crucial to address the financial crunch faced by these schools in order to maintain and run them effectively.
