NEP authorises states to bring out school textbooks: Kerala Education Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26 (PTI) Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said on Sunday that the NEP clearly states that the authority to publish school textbooks rests with the states, and therefore, there is no need for any concern in this regard.

Following the state's recent signing of the PM SHRI scheme, the minister defended the General Education Department’s move, saying that much of the National Education Policy is already in place in Kerala.

"In the signed MoU, it is clearly stated that we can withdraw from the agreement at any time. This should be done after deliberations between the two parties and arriving at a consensus. If a consensus cannot be reached, we also have the freedom to approach the court," he told reporters here.

Stating that Kerala would not deviate from the long-standing educational policy of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) under any circumstances, Sivankutty said BJP leader K Surendran's statement that school textbooks in the state would include lessons about RSS leaders would remain only a dream.

The authority to publish school textbooks rests with the states, and therefore, there is no need for any concern in this regard, he reiterated.

Sivankutty added that the matter concerns 47 lakh students in the state, and the government's only priority is to ensure that central funds for students from poor and marginalised communities are not lost.

To justify his statements, the minister's office later in the day issued a release containing the Malayalam translation of remarks made by Sanjay Kumar, Union Secretary of School Education and Literacy, during an interview with a local TV channel.

In the statement, Kumar was quoted as saying that the state had held several rounds of discussions with the Centre regarding the PM SHRI scheme, as the latter had taken the position that funds for Sarva Shiksha Kerala would be sanctioned only if the state signed the agreement for the scheme.

Based on those discussions, Kerala submitted a letter of consent in the first phase, he said.

The union secretary was also quoted as clarifying that the centre had made it clear at every stage that implementing the NEP is not a mandatory requirement under the PM SHRI scheme.

The state has full freedom to proceed in alignment with its own education policy, and the PM SHRI agreement does not in any way restrict that freedom, the statement said, quoting the union secretary’s remarks during the TV interview.

"His response provides assurance that implementing the NEP is not compulsory under the PM SHRI scheme," the education minister’s office added in the statement.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on October 10.

"The PM SHRI agreement was signed on October 16. The CM must explain what happened in Delhi on October 10. What kind of deal was made? Who blackmailed the chief minister?" he asked reporters in Kochi.

He further alleged that when the CPI opposed the move during the cabinet meeting on October 22, both the chief minister and the education minister remained silent.

"They even deceived their fellow ministers," the Leader of the Opposition alleged. PTI LGK SSK ADB