India

Students Protest in Karnataka Over Proposed Closure of 45,000 State Schools

By The Hindu Bureau

The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) staged protests in Kalaburagi and Ballari on Friday to oppose the Karnataka government’s proposed KPS Magnet school policy, which the organisation said could lead to the closure of about 45,000 government schools across the state. The demonstrations were held at Thimmapur Circle in Kalaburagi and OPD Circle in Ballari. Protesters criticised the Congress government for moving forward with the policy despite strong public opposition and demanded that it withdraw the proposal and safeguard the public education system.

In Kalaburagi, AIDSO district president Tuljaram N.K. argued that the government, which had promised to protect government schools before coming to power, was now preparing to close thousands of them under the KPS Magnet scheme and implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. He cited the loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as evidence of the proposed changes. AIDSO State treasurer Subhash Bettadakoppa, speaking at the Ballari protest, also criticised the government for accepting conditions that he said would undermine the public education system. He questioned how the Congress could claim to protect democracy while pursuing a policy that would deprive children from poor families of access to government schools.

The speakers alleged that the ADB‑linked conditions envisaged merging all government schools around school clusters into a single institution by 2030; providing financial support from corporate companies for the management of KPS Magnet schools; and designing a curriculum to prepare students as a workforce suited to the needs of those companies. They also claimed that future teacher recruitment would be restricted to KPS schools and that the government would stop providing grants to these schools after 2030.

Protesters expressed concern that the policy would leave only 4,038 schools functioning in Karnataka while resulting in the closure of around 45,000 government schools. They alleged that the state’s education policy was increasingly being shaped by foreign financial institutions and corporate interests rather than by educationists and intellectuals from Karnataka.

Abdul Waheed, president of the district committee for the protection of public education, addressed the Kalaburagi protest. In Ballari, S.G. Nagarathna, vice‑president of the committee, said the proposed policy posed a serious threat to public education and called for a united struggle to protect government schools. Referring to the 200th birth anniversary of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, the speakers said protecting public education was a historic responsibility and warned that the organisation would intensify its agitation against the policy.

The Kalaburagi protest was presided over by AIDSO district secretary Venkatesh Devadurga, with district vice‑presidents Radha Preeti Doddamani and Govind Yalawar, Nagaraj Ravoor, and other members and activists participating. In Ballari, the protest was presided over by district secretary Kambali Manjunath. AIDSO district president K. Eranna, vice‑president M. Shanthi, district treasurer Anupama, office secretary Niharika, members Kantesh and Thippeswamy, and hundreds of students took part.