The central government has disbursed a significant installment of school education funds to Kerala, following the state's decision to sign a crucial memorandum of understanding for a flagship central scheme. This move comes after a period of withheld grants due to Kerala's initial reluctance to implement the programme.
Funds Released Following MoU Signature
According to responses provided by the Union Education Ministry in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the Centre released Rs 92.41 crore to Kerala as the first installment for the current financial year under the Samagra Shiksha school education scheme. This release occurred on November 4.
The funding followed the state government's agreement to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the PM-SHRI (Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India) scheme on 23rd October 2025. PM-SHRI is a central initiative aimed at upgrading selected government schools across the country into model institutions.
Parliamentary Answers Reveal the Sequence
The details emerged from answers to two separate questions posed by Congress MPs in the lower house. In response to a query from Congress MP M K Raghavan regarding fund allocation and states' rights to withdraw from the MoU, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan confirmed Kerala's signing of the agreement.
Minister Pradhan stated, "The State of Kerala has signed the MoU on 23rd October 2025, which is to be followed by transparent challenge mode for the selection of PM SHRI schools. Subsequently, State of Kerala has been requested to upload information of schools on PM SHRI portal." The "challenge mode" refers to a competitive process where schools vie for selection and funding support after the MoU is in place.
In a separate answer to Congress MP Shafi Parambil, Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary provided the financial specifics. He confirmed that for the financial year 2025-26, a central share of Rs 452.04 crore has been approved for Kerala under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, with the Rs 92.41 crore being the first tranche of that amount.
Kerala's Initial Hesitation and Internal Politics
The backdrop to this development involves political friction within Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF). In mid-November, shortly after the MoU was signed, the Kerala government placed the actual implementation of the PM-SHRI scheme on hold.
This pause was triggered by a disagreement between the two major ruling allies, the CPI(M) and the CPI. The internal row highlighted the political sensitivities surrounding the adoption of centrally sponsored schemes in the state. The Centre's release of the Samagra Shiksha funds appears to be directly linked to the formal signing of the PM-SHRI MoU in October, which preceded the internal state-level controversy.
This sequence of events underscores the often complex interplay between central funding, state policy implementation, and regional coalition politics in India's education landscape. The release of funds indicates a temporary resolution, though the future implementation of the PM-SHRI scheme in Kerala remains subject to the outcome of the state's internal deliberations.
