West Bengal has officially adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, a move that is expected to unlock significant central funding for approximately 80,000 government schools and address long-standing infrastructure and governance issues. Key developments include the transition from coal to LPG for mid-day meal cooking, the phased introduction of solar panels, and upgrades to basic facilities like toilets and drinking water, alongside the provision of sanitary napkin vending machines and water purifiers for girls and co-educational schools. This strategic alignment with central education reforms also involves a temporary halt on new No Objection Certificates for private higher education institutions to prioritize strengthening public education, a commitment to merit-based teacher recruitment, and potential amendments to state education laws to align with NEP guidelines and enhance school management committees, all aimed at improving the quality of public education amidst a national trend of declining government school enrollment.

West Bengal has officially adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, a move that is expected to unlock significant central funding for approximately 80,000 government schools and address long-standing infrastructure and governance issues. Key developments include the transition from coal to LPG for mid-day meal cooking, the phased introduction of solar panels, and upgrades to basic facilities like toilets and drinking water, alongside the provision of sanitary napkin vending machines and water purifiers for girls and co-educational schools. This strategic alignment with central education reforms also involves a temporary halt on new No Objection Certificates for private higher education institutions to prioritize strengthening public education, a commitment to merit-based teacher recruitment, and potential amendments to state education laws to align with NEP guidelines and enhance school management committees, all aimed at improving the quality of public education amidst a national trend of declining government school enrollment.

West Bengal has officially adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, a move that is expected to unlock significant central funding for approximately 80,000 government schools and address long-standing infrastructure and governance issues. Key developments include the transition from coal to LPG for mid-day meal cooking, the phased introduction of solar panels, and upgrades to basic facilities like toilets and drinking water, alongside the provision of sanitary napkin vending machines and water purifiers for girls and co-educational schools. This strategic alignment with central education reforms also involves a temporary halt on new No Objection Certificates for private higher education institutions to prioritize strengthening public education, a commitment to merit-based teacher recruitment, and potential amendments to state education laws to align with NEP guidelines and enhance school management committees, all aimed at improving the quality of public education amidst a national trend of declining government school enrollment.

West Bengal has adopted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, unlocking long-pending central funds for nearly 80,000 government schools. The reforms aim to improve basic infrastructure, strengthen teacher recruitment and restore confidence in public education.

For years, a familiar scene has played out in thousands of government schools across West Bengal: cooks preparing mid-day meals over smoky coal stoves, children eating in sweltering classrooms without ceiling fans and basic facilities remaining out of reach for students. Not for lack of need, but because funding and political consensus rarely aligned.

That may now be changing.

At a high-level meeting in Kolkata on Monday, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Union Minister of State (MoS) for Education Sukanta Majumdar, state education ministers Dipak Barman and Jagannath Chattopadhyay and senior officials from the Centre and the state agreed on a sweeping roadmap to overhaul school infrastructure and governance.

The most significant decision was West Bengal's adoption of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, ending years of resistance to the Centre's flagship education reforms. The move unlocks long-pending central funds, with the first tranche expected within a week. Nearly 80,000 government schools are expected to benefit through composite grants for infrastructure upgrades and academic improvements.

The reforms focus on basics that directly affect students. Coal-fired kitchens will be replaced with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN) scheme, solar panels introduced in phases, and schools equipped with clean toilets, arsenic-free drinking water, improved kitchen utensils and, where needed, ceiling fans. Girls and co-educational schools will also receive sanitary napkin vending machines and water purifiers.

From August 1 onwards, the daily cooking cost under PM POSHAN will rise from ₹6.78 to ₹10 per child for pre-primary and primary students, with the state funding the additional amount.

The government also announced a two-year pause on issuing new No Objection Certificates (NoCs) to private higher education institutions, while existing colleges will undergo inspections covering infrastructure, fee structures and regulatory compliance. The stated priority is to strengthen public education before expanding the private sector.

Teacher recruitment will continue on a merit-based, transparent system aimed at protecting student-teacher ratios, while amendments to state education laws are being considered to align with the NEP and strengthen the role of school management committees.

The significance of these decisions extends beyond Monday's meeting.

In May, NITI Aayog's report, School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement, found that government school enrolment nationwide has fallen to 49.24 per cent, down from 71 per cent two decades ago. For the first time, a majority of Indian children attend private schools despite sustained investment through schemes such as Samagra Shiksha, PM SHRI and PM POSHAN.

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