Karnataka plans to link 2,000 government schools with private schools

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar with representatives of private school managements at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The Karnataka government plans to develop government schools in rural areas with the aid of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and as part of it, will link 2,000 government schools with private ones in phases. In the first phase, it aims to link private schools with 1,000 government schools.

The government held a meeting with representatives of private school managements at the Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday under “Namma Shaale Namma Javabdari” initiative. The day saw 15 organisations signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth ₹206.10 crore to upgrade 56 government schools as Karnataka Public Schools (KPS). Together with the 18 MoUs already signed this year for 33 schools, worth ₹85 crore, the total now stands at 33 MoUs, 89 schools and ₹291.10 crore, the government said.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said, “All private schools in the State should adopt government schools in rural areas or join hands with the government to support their development. We are confident that our efforts will yield positive results over the next four to five years.”

The Chief Minister said the government will not dictate which schools private school managements should choose to support. “You may select schools based on your convenience and financial capacity. If you are unable to construct buildings, you can depute some of your experienced teachers to government schools. You could provide 10 teachers from your institution and continue to pay their salaries,” he suggested.

“Rather than selling your school buses, you could donate them to government schools. Providing laboratory equipment and computers would also be of great help. Think of this as an exchange of knowledge and resources,” he appealed.

Expressing displeasure over the quality of teachers at government schools, the Chief Minister stated that despite paying up to ₹1.5 lakh, they are unable to have quality. “We are now giving greater importance to the quality and capabilities of teachers during the recruitment process,” he stated.

The Chief Minister also said that in the coming years, the government will put more pressure on those getting free water, electricity, and land in the State to support government schools. “Your basic motto should be bringing rural government school children to the level of your schoolchildren,” he said.

Praising private schools for the quality of education and the capabilities of their students, Mr. Shivakumar said, “If even a part of these strengths can be extended to government schools, it will help prevent students in rural areas from migrating to cities in search of quality education. It is the responsibility of each one of you to adopt government schools and contribute to their development.”