Student enrolment goes up by 76% in 40 PM-SHRI schools in 5 states

Each PM-SHRI school has seen an increase in enrolment ranging from 49% to 295%.

In a school in Manipur, the enrolment went up from 173 in 2020-21 to 684 in 2023-24, an increase of around 295%, the data shows.

The PM-SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) scheme, which was approved by the government in 2022, is meant to develop 14,500 schools across the country as ones that “showcase” aspects of the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and function as “exemplar schools” which will also mentor schools in their region.

The scheme is meant for existing elementary, secondary and senior secondary schools run by the Centre, state, or local government.

A total of 12,084 schools across the country have been selected as PM-SHRI schools so far. Three States – Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal – are yet to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Education to implement the PM-SHRI scheme.

A senior official in the Ministry of Education said that the increase in enrolment shows that parents are “willing to send their children to government schools” if the schools are branded and if there is a “perception among parents that these schools are good.”