Kerala Urges Centre to Release Pending RTE Funds Under Samagra Shiksha

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has urged the Union Government to immediately release the funds due to the state under the Right to Education (RTE) provisions of the Samagra Shiksha scheme, Education Minister V. Sivankutty said. The state has formally written to the Centre highlighting the issue, he added.

For nearly two and a half years, the Centre had not released Samagra Shiksha funds to Kerala. After this long gap, the state received funds only in November this year. Of the 456 crore rupees allocated for 2025–26, the Centre has so far released the first installment of 92.41 crore rupees, the minister said.

Kerala has submitted proposals to the Centre seeking urgent release of RTE-related funds and funds for differently abled children. Since 2023–24, the state is yet to receive 440.87 crore rupees in this category alone. From the third installment of 2023–24 up to 2025–26, Kerala is collectively owed 1,158 crore rupees from the Central Government.

Funds issued under the RTE are used to cover essential student needs, the minister explained. These include free uniforms and textbooks, hostel expenses for children from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, travel allowances for these students, training programs for migrant workers’ children and out-of-school children, hostel expenses for girl students, and school maintenance. Kerala is fully entitled to receive the central share for these components, he said.

Sivankutty pointed out that despite the Centre withholding funds for two and a half years, the state government ensured uninterrupted functioning of autism centres and payment of staff salaries under Samagra Shiksha. Kerala currently operates 169 autism centres, each serving an average of 60 children. Services such as speech therapy and physiotherapy are provided free of cost. Specially trained educators and support staff work in these centres. In total, 6,870 personnel, including teachers, are currently employed under Samagra Shiksha in the state, the minister added.