The Union ministry of education on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal government to implement the PM SHRI Schools initiative in the state, ending years of resistance under the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration and formally bringing the state into the Centre’s flagship school transformation scheme aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.West Bengal had earlier declined to sign the MoU for implementation of the PM SHRI scheme under the TMC government. (Representative photo/ iStock)The MoU was signed at Kartavya Bhawan by Sanjay Kumar, secretary, department of school education and literacy (DoSEL), ministry of education, and Dheeraj Sahu, additional secretary, on behalf of the Centre, and by Binod Kumar, additional chief secretary, on behalf of the West Bengal government.“Aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, this initiative focuses on transforming existing schools into model institutions of excellence. These schools will serve as exemplar institutions, guiding and supporting nearby schools to enhance learning outcomes, innovation and holistic education,” the ministry of education said in a post on X on Friday.The development comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, came to power in West Bengal for the first time following the recently announced Assembly election results.West Bengal had earlier declined to sign the MoU for implementation of the PM SHRI scheme under the TMC government led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, citing differences with the Centre over the scheme’s branding and implementation structure.With West Bengal now on board, Kerala and Tamil Nadu remain the only two states yet to sign the MoU for the scheme. Officials said the Centre is expected to engage with the new governments in both states following recent political changes after the Assembly elections, with TVK, led by Vijay, replacing the DMK government headed by M.K. Stalin in Tamil Nadu, and the Congress under V.D. Satheesan replacing the CPI(M)-led government of Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala.Launched in September 2022, the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme aims to upgrade 14,500 existing government schools into model institutions that fully reflect the principles of the NEP 2020. The centrally sponsored scheme follows a 60:40 funding pattern between the Centre and states, except for northeastern and Himalayan states, where the Centre bears a larger share of the expenditure.At present, 13,091 PM SHRI schools have been selected across the country under the initiative.