When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the PM SHRI (Prime Minister Schools for Rising India) initiative in 2022, it marked one of the most ambitious attempts to bring the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 to life. The scheme set out to transform over 14,500 existing government schools into model institutions showcasing the principles of equity, inclusivity, innovation, and rootedness in Indian knowledge systems.
Three years on, the initiative has made impressive headway — yet its outcomes reveal a familiar duality in Indian education reform: visible progress accompanied by uneven ground realities.
A POLICY ANCHORED IN NEP 2020
Formulated under the guidance of Dr. K. Kasturirangan, the NEP 2020 envisioned a reimagined education ecosystem balancing modern pedagogy with India’s cultural and intellectual heritage. PM SHRI schools were designed to serve as demonstration hubs for this transformation — where innovation, sustainability, and experiential learning coexist with digital empowerment and teacher capacity-building.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has repeatedly defended the scheme from political criticism, describing PM SHRI as “the embodiment of NEP 2020 — blending technology with tradition, innovation with inclusion.”
The Cabinet approved the initiative with a total outlay of ₹27,360 crore (₹18,128 crore as the Centre’s share) for 2022–23 to 2026–27, to be implemented under the Samagra Shiksha framework.
NUMBERS THAT REFLECT PROGRESS
According to the Department of School Education & Literacy (DSEL), as of May 2025, a total of 12,079 schools have been selected across four phases of implementation. These schools are distributed across 670 districts and more than 8,000 blocks, covering both rural and urban clusters.
The leading states include:
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Uttar Pradesh: 1,710 schools
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Andhra Pradesh: 855 schools
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Maharashtra: 827 schools
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Bihar: 804 schools
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Telangana: 794 schools
Each PM SHRI school is expected to feature smart classrooms, Atal Tinkering Labs, digital libraries, vocational hubs, eco-friendly infrastructure, and continuous teacher training monitored through the School Quality Assessment Framework (SQAF).
BEYOND THE DATA: THE REALITY ON THE GROUND
However, field reports reveal a mixed picture. In some districts, the transformation is clearly visible — solar-powered classrooms, innovation labs, and interactive learning platforms have changed the teaching environment. In others, infrastructure and digital upgrades remain stuck in bureaucratic delays.
A senior education researcher observed, “The PM SHRI concept is sound. But the quality of execution depends entirely on local administrative capacity and sustained teacher investment. Without teachers at the centre, technology alone cannot transform learning.”
The disparity underscores the larger issue of state-level implementation and the timely release of funds, which continue to define the pace and quality of educational reform.
POLITICS AND POLICY COLLIDE
The scheme’s rollout has not been insulated from politics. Several opposition-ruled states initially resisted joining, citing concerns over central interference and overlap with state programmes. Some even delayed signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre.
Minister Pradhan addressed these concerns publicly on X (formerly Twitter), stating that “some prefer to criticise rather than recognise success.” However, recent developments — such as Kerala’s decision to sign the MoU — indicate a shift towards wider acceptance and a more cooperative Centre-State engagement.
STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE: A MIXED STORY
For students like Ananya Tiwari, a 13-year-old from a PM SHRI school near Lucknow, the transformation has been tangible: “We now use tablets in science class and record videos of our experiments. It makes learning more fun and real.”
Yet, in other districts such as Gaya in Bihar, teachers report that promised labs and smart devices are still pending. The headmaster admitted, “We’ve been declared a model school on paper, but the model hasn’t reached our classrooms yet.”
ASSESSING THE IMPACT
Once fully operational, PM SHRI schools are expected to directly benefit around 1.8 million students. Through the SQAF, the government aims to track measurable improvements in learning outcomes, inclusion, and sustainability.
However, independent evaluations are still awaited. The crucial benchmark will not be how these schools perform individually, but whether they can inspire systemic improvement in the surrounding government schools.
THE ROAD AHEAD
The PM SHRI initiative stands as the most visible expression of NEP 2020’s aspirations — where technology meets tradition, and innovation meets inclusion. Its trajectory highlights India’s enduring challenge: bridging the gap between visionary policy and on-ground transformation.
If the next two years succeed in consolidating funding, training, and accountability mechanisms, PM SHRI could redefine the very identity of public schooling in India. If not, it risks becoming another policy milestone celebrated in reports but not realised in classrooms.
