Education minister claims TN agreed to PM-SHRI scheme; shares letter
What's the story
Union Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, has accused the Tamil Nadu government of going back on its word of implementing the centrally funded PM SHRI scheme.
The minister posted a letter from the state government on X, where they had agreed to go ahead with the scheme.
The initiative seeks to upgrade schools run by central, state, or local authorities.
The letter was written by Shiv Das Meena, then Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, on March 15, 2024.
Political allegations
DMK's stance on NEP criticized by Pradhan
Pradhan accused the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of altering its stand on the National Education Policy (NEP) for political gains.
"Yesterday, DMK MPs and Hon'ble CM Stalin accused me of misleading the Parliament regarding Tamil Nadu's consent for the establishment of PM-SHRI Schools."
"This retrograde politics of DMK is a great disservice to the bright future of Tamil Nadu and its students," he added.
Call for action
Pradhan urges CM Stalin to prioritize students' interests
He called upon CM MK Stalin to keep students' interests above political advantages.
The original MoU agreed to implement the NEP with the three-language formula.
Tamil Nadu had expressed willingness to sign the PM SHRI MoU for the academic year 2024-25 but responded with a modified MoU, dropping the key paragraph referring to the implementation of NEP 2020 in its entirety.
Scheme disputes
Controversy over PM SHRI scheme implementation
This comes after Stalin had shared a letter by Pradhan dated August 30, 2024 on Monday, alleging the state had never agreed to the MoU on PM-SHRI in the original form.
"Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who thinks himself as king, speaking with arrogance should have control over his tongue. Wasn't it you who wrote to me confirming that the Tamil Nadu government had completely rejected NEP, the three-language policy, and the PM SHRI MoU?" he said.
Political critique
Pradhan criticizes DMK's political strategy and education model
In the same session, a war of words broke out between Pradhan and DMK after the minister called the Tamil Nadu government "dishonest" and the people of the state "uncivilized."
This prompted DMK MP Kanimozhi NVN Somu to request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to take action for "contempt of the house."
After Pradhan shared the latter, Kanimozhi told reporters the state did agree on setting up PM SHRI Schools, but on one condition—based on the committee recommendations.