PM SHRI Scheme Launched in Chhattisgarh

• 22 Feb 2024

Why in News?

Recently, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, launched the PM SHRI (Prime Minister Schools for Rising India) scheme at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay auditorium in Raipur.

Key Points

• In the first phase of the PM SHRI scheme, 211 schools (193 elementary level and 18 secondary ones) will be upgraded in Chhattisgarh on a ‘hub and spoke’ model by spending Rs 2 crore on each.
• Under the model, the mentor institution, called the ‘hub’ will be centralized and have the responsibility of guiding the mentee institution through the secondary branches the ‘spoke’ via services provided to the mentee for self-improvement.
• According to the CM, the Centre plan’s under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, that from 2025-26 academic session, students will get an opportunity to appear for 10^th and 12^th class board exams twice.
  • According to the New Curriculum Framework (NCF) announced by the Ministry of Education in August 2023, board examinations will be held at least twice a year to ensure that students have enough time and opportunity to perform well. They will also get the option to retain the best score.

PM SHRI

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme for upgradation and development of more than 14500 Schools across the country.
• It aims at strengthening the selected existing schools from amongst schools managed by Central Government/ State/ UT Government/ local bodies.
• The aim of these schools will not only be qualitative teaching, learning and cognitive development, but also creating holistic and well-rounded individuals equipped with key 21^st century skills.

National Education Policy (NEP) 2020

• The NEP 2020 aims at making “India a global knowledge superpower”. It is only the 3^rd major revamp of the framework of education in India since independence.
  • The two earlier education policies were brought in 1968 and 1986.
• Salient Features:
  • Ensuring Universal Access at All Levels of schooling from pre-primary school to Grade 12.
  • Ensuring quality early childhood care and education for all children between 3-6 years.
  • New Curricular and Pedagogical Structure (5+3+3+4) corresponds to the age groups of 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively.
  • It covers four stages of schooling: Foundational Stage (5 years), Preparatory Stage (3 years), Middle Stage (3 years), and Secondary Stage (4 years).
  • No hard separations between arts and sciences, between curricular and extracurricular activities, between vocational and academic streams;
  • Emphasis on promoting multilingualism and Indian languages
  • Setting up of a new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development).
  • A separate Gender Inclusion fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.