DMK ruining future of Tamil Nadu students by not implementing PM SHRI scheme: Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday accused Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government of being “dishonest” and ruining students’ futures by making a complete “U-turn” on implementing the PM Schools for Rising India, or PM SHRI, scheme in the state.

The centrally-sponsored scheme aims to upgrade the infrastructure of schools managed by central, state or regional bodies. However, to avail the scheme’s benefits, state governments must first sign a memorandum of understanding with the Centre to implement the 2020 National Education Policy.

“The Tamil Nadu government had initially agreed to sign the MoU,” Pradhan said in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session. “But now they have changed the stand. Many non-BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party]-ruled states, including Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, have signed the agreement.”

The BJP leader added: “They [Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam] are dishonest and they are ruining the future of the students of Tamil Nadu. Their only job is to raise language barriers. They are doing politics...They are undemocratic and uncivilised.”

Pradhan’s remarks came amid an ongoing war of words between him and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over the three-language mandate in the National Education Policy.

The three-language mandate refers to teaching students English, Hindi and the native language of a state. It was introduced in the first National Education Policy...

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