Kerala Reaffirms Stand Against NEP Despite Signing PM SHRI MoU

India

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Published: Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 17:25 [IST]

Kerala’s
Education
Minister
V
Sivankutty
has
reiterated
that
the
state
will
not
implement
the
National
Education
Policy
(NEP),
even
after
signing
a
Memorandum
of
Understanding
(MoU)
with
the
Centre
under
the
PM
SHRI
schools
scheme.
Addressing
political
criticism,
Sivankutty
clarified
that
the
agreement
focuses
solely
on
infrastructure
improvement
and
academic
enhancement,
not
on
adopting
the
NEP
or
altering
Kerala’s
curriculum
framework.

Kerala’s
Firm
Rejection
of
NEP

Sivankutty
underlined
that
Kerala’s
education
system
will
continue
to
operate
independently
of
the
NEP,
which
the
state
has
consistently
opposed.

“The
MoU
does
not
mean
surrendering
our
syllabus
or
policies
to
the
Centre.
It
is
only
for
availing
funds
to
upgrade
school
facilities,” he
said.

The
minister
stressed
that
Kerala’s
state
curriculum
and
educational
philosophy
would
remain
intact,
rejecting
suggestions
that
the
PM
SHRI
tie-up
could
bring
NEP-driven
changes.

Political
Reactions
and
Ideological
Debate

The
controversy
intensified
after
former
BJP
state
president
K
Surendran
claimed
that
RSS
ideologues
like
Keshav
Baliram
Hedgewar
and
Vinayak
Damodar
Savarkar
might
feature
in
Kerala’s
textbooks
under
the
NEP
framework.
Sivankutty
dismissed
the
claims
as
“baseless
and
politically
motivated,” asserting
that
Kerala
would
never
allow
ideological
or
communal
influences
in
its
education
system.

He
reaffirmed
that
historical
accuracy
will
not
be
compromised,
noting
that
events
such
as
Nathuram
Godse’s
assassination
of
Mahatma
Gandhi
will
remain
part
of
the
syllabus
–
a
direct
rebuke
to
fears
of
historical
revisionism
often
linked
to
NEP
debates.

Centre’s
Clarification

Union
Minister
George
Kurian
backed
Kerala’s
interpretation,
stating
that
the
PM
SHRI
scheme
does
not
compel
NEP
adoption.

“If
Kerala
chooses
not
to
follow
the
National
Education
Policy
or
vocational
modules
under
it,
that
is
their
prerogative,”
Kurian
said,
adding
that
the
Centre’s
role
is
limited
to
financial
and
infrastructural
assistance.

Opposition
Questions
Consistency

Meanwhile,
the
Opposition
Congress
has
accused
the
LDF
government
of
inconsistency
–
signing
a
central
scheme
it
had
previously
criticised
for
promoting
NEP-linked
reforms.
V
D
Satheesan,
Leader
of
Opposition,
asked
why
the
government
sought
PM
SHRI
funds
when
it
had
earlier
claimed
Kerala’s
public
schools
already
met
international
standards
through
KIIFB
investments.

The
Broader
Context

Kerala’s
participation
in
PM
SHRI
has
reignited
the
state-versus-centre
debate
over
NEP
implementation.
While
the
Union
government
promotes
NEP
as
a
transformative
framework,
Kerala
maintains
that
its
existing
curriculum
model
better
serves
its
social
and
academic
goals.