101 Punjab schools selected for upgrade under PM SHRI scheme

Amid a standoff between the central government and some non-BJP-ruled states over its implementation, the Centre has selected 101 secondary and higher secondary schools in Punjab for upgradation under the Prime Minister Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme.

These schools were selected through the challenge mode process from among the 968 state-run schools that participated in the sixth round. The total number of PM SHRI schools in Punjab has increased to 347, including one upper primary school, 80 secondary schools and 266 higher secondary schools. Thirty-five of these are girls’ schools.

Patiala has the highest number of PM SHRI schools at 29, followed by Bathinda and Gurdaspur with 26 each, according to data shared by the Union ministry of education with the state government. Amritsar has 24 and Ludhiana 23. Additionally, 38 Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) and 23 Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) schools in Punjab have also been selected for upgradation under this centrally sponsored scheme.

The selected schools will be developed as ‘exemplar schools’ to provide ‘high-quality education in an equitable, inclusive and joyful school environment’. According to the programme objectives, these schools will serve as model institutes, embodying the spirit of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.

In November 2024, the central government sanctioned a budget of ₹209.46 crore for 246 schools. The state government is estimated to get an additional budget of approximately ₹90 crore for these 101 schools under the scheme in the next financial year, said people familiar with the matter.

“Each primary, elementary and secondary/senior secondary school would receive a budget, including central and state share, of around ₹1 crore, ₹1.3 crore and ₹2.25 crore, respectively, for upgradation, depending upon its enrolment of the students and requirements,” according to a letter sent by Vipin Kumar, additional secretary, Union ministry of education, to the state governments last year.

The ₹27,360-crore scheme was approved by the Union cabinet in September 2022 to upgrade 14,500 schools nationwide over five years with a central share of ₹18,128 crore. However, some opposition-ruled states, including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Delhi, did not sign the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the central ministry for implementing the scheme.

Punjab had signed on to the scheme in October 2022 and 241 state-run schools were selected, but then it pulled out of the programme in July 2023 and joined the non-BJP ruled states. The AAP government cited its own ‘Schools of Eminence’ scheme and plans to transform 1,000 other state-run schools into specialised schools under the proposed schemes of ‘Schools of Happiness’ and ‘Schools of Brilliance’ for opting out.

“It is felt that shifting 241 schools under any other scheme would create ambiguity since the state wants to focus on state initiatives/projects. Therefore, the state government is not willing to opt for the PM SHRI School Scheme,” the director general school education, Punjab, then wrote to the central ministry. However, after the central government stopped funds under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the state government last year decided to participate in the school upgradation programme and 246 government schools were selected in two rounds.

Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala have not signed on to the scheme so far, whereas Delhi now has a BJP government. The scheme will run from 2022-23 to 2026-27, after which states and UTs will be responsible for maintaining the benchmarks achieved by these schools.