Over 14,000 schools throughout the country can expect to benefit 187 lakh children as PM Schools under the Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. The project is likely to cost Rs 27,360 crore.

After a Cabinet meeting, Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Anurag Thakur announced that more than 14,000 schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas as well as schools run by state governments and local organisations will be strengthened to become PM-SHRI Schools.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the scheme on September 5 on Teachers’ Day to upgrade and modernise existing schools from amongst those managed by the central and state governments, as well as local bodies. The total project cost would be Rs 27,360 crore for five years, of which the central share would be Rs 18,128 crore.

The government expects this scheme to benefit 187 lakh students and these schools will be monitored vigorously to assess progress and understand the challenges faced in the implementation of the new National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.

“PM SHRI will provide high-quality education in an equitable, inclusive and joyful school environment that takes care of the diverse background, multilingual needs, and different academic abilities of children and makes them active participants in their own learning process as per the vision of NEP 2020,” said Pradhan, who is the Education and Skill Development Minister. The PM-SHRI Schools will provide leadership to other schools in their respective regions by providing mentorship.

“These schools will be developed as ‘Green schools’, incorporating environment-friendly aspects like solar panels and LED lights, nutrition gardens with natural farming, waste management and plastic free,” Education Minister said. Water conservation and harvesting, the study of traditions and practices related to the protection of the environment, climate-change-related hackathon and awareness generation to adopt a sustainable lifestyle will also be included.

“Pedagogy adopted in these schools will be more experiential, holistic, integrated, play and toy-based (particularly, in the foundational years) inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centred, discussion-based, flexible and enjoyable,” Pradhan said. Focus on learning outcomes of every child in every grade, assessment at all levels based on conceptual understanding and application of knowledge to real-life situations will be among the features of the scheme.

It will also include assessment of resources available and their effectiveness in terms of availability, adequacy, appropriateness, and utilisation for each of the domains and their key performance indicators, and filling of gaps in a systematic and planned manner Linkage with Sector Skill Councils and local industry for enhancing employability and providing better employment opportunities will also be explored.

“A School Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF) is being developed, specifying the key performance indicators to measure outcomes. Quality evaluation of these schools at regular intervals will be undertaken to ensure the desired standards,” Pradhan said.