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Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
MLA has midday meal with kids during surprise visit
Mangaluru: Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai on Tuesday conducted a surprise visit to the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Higher Primary School in Parladka to ensure that children are given quality food under the Midday Meal scheme of the state govt. The MLA, after visiting the kitchen and other facilities, ate meals with the children sitting on the floor. "I selected this school for a surprise visit to check and ensure that children are given quality food as per the govt's direction under the Akshara Dasoha initiative. The main purpose of my surprise visit was to see what kind of food schools provide for children for mid-day meals. I selected this school randomly, to see whether they use vegetables and distribute eggs to children. I not only saw the kitchen facility, but also ate lunch with the children. I am satisfied with the quality of food the school served," he said, and suggested that the school should improve the quality and taste further. "As a people's representative, people question the MLA first if the quality of food in schools is not up to the mark. When MLAs conduct surprise visits to schools and hostels to check the food quality, the authorities will also become more responsible," he said, adding that he will continue surprise visits to other schools too. The MLA said that the govt has sanctioned five Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) for the Puttur constituency. Each KPS will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 7-8 crore. The govt will also provide buses for KPSs, he added.
The Hindu
20-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
No govt. or Kannada medium school will be shutdown: Madhu Bangarappa
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Madhu Bangarappa has said that no schools —government and Kannada medium— in the State would be closed for any reason. 'Government and Kannada medium schools in the State will not be closed for any reason. We have deputed teachers and mid-day meals workers in schools with zero admission to other schools. If students enroll, we will restart those schools,' said the Minister. During an interaction with The Hindu, he said that there were many schools in the State where only one student was enrolled, which were also not closed. 'We have not closed any Kannada medium schools and have emphasised on starting bilingual classes,' he said. Mr. Bangarappa said that steps have been taken to open school clusters on the model of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS). 'There are about 308 KPS schools across the state, and there is a huge demand for these schools from students and parents. In this context, it has also been considered to open school clusters and provide free transport facilities to students,' he said. Bilingual schools Mr. Bangarappa further said that in 2023, the State government started 1000 bilingual schools, and they were such a big success that the State Budget of 2025-26 announced the setting up of another 4000 bilingual schools and that they were already sanctioned. 'To provide quality English education in government schools, the English Medium Teacher Induction Program (EMTIP) is being provided to teachers of classes 1 to 4, in association with Azim Premji Foundation, and 20,000 teachers have already been trained in English. It ensures access to English language education for students of all sections of society. And, Spoken English classes are being conducted for students from classes 1 to 8 in all government schools. Modules have been prepared for each class, and KPS teachers have been trained at Regional Institute of English (RIE). So far 38,56,826 students benefited from this,' he said. KG classes The minister further said that the LKG and UK classes started in government schools were a big success. 'We have started LKG-UKG classes in 5000 government schools across the State this year, and the response has been great,' he said, adding that the lack of LKG-UG classes in government schools was pushing parents to admit their children in private schools. 'The Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) in Kalyana Karnataka established 1,008 pre-primary schools last year, almost towards the beginning of the admission season. In just 4 days, 40,000 children got admissions into these schools,' he said. CSR funds not been collected at the expected level Mr. Bangarappa said that the plan to start two model schools in every gram panchayat with the help of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds by corporate companies was not successful. 'We had a plan to collect around ₹2,500 crore CSR fund to build 500 model schools across the State. But, companies in the Bengaluru region are not coming forward to build schools in remote villages. Therefore, we have started a project called Our School-Our Responsibility and have given the responsibility to the Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Zilla Panchayat of the respective districts to contact the companies under their jurisdiction and obtain CSR funds and start model schools,' he said. Teachers recruitment Speaking about the teachers' recruitment, Mr. Bangarappa said that the Chief Minister had announced to recruit 10,267 teachers this year. In addition, the government has approved the filling of 5,000 teacher posts in aided schools and 800 lecturer posts in Government Pre-University Colleges, he added and said the recruitment process will begin as soon as internal reservation among Scheduled Castes is finalised. Fostering constitutional values The Minister said around 1.04 crore students of government, aided, and unaided schools were now reading the Constitution's preamble daily, helping in instilling in them constitutional values. He further said the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) is observing the Gandhi Bharath year through special initiatives to commemorate the centenary of the 1924 Congress session in Belagavi. 'All textbooks have a logo saying Gandhi Bharath on its cover page and seven social sins, written by Mahatma Gandhi on the backside,' he said.
Hans India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Free bus facility for students in govt schools
Bengaluru: In a major step toward strengthening public education, the government has announced free bus transportation for all students studying from LKG to PUC in Karnataka Public Schools (KPS). The initiative is aimed at improving accessibility, attendance, and the overall quality of education in government-run schools across the state. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar shared the news via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, highlighting the government's commitment to ensuring a bright future for children studying in public schools. 'The government is committed to the bright future of government school students. As part of strengthening Karnataka Public Schools, we are launching free bus services for students studying from LKG to PUC,' said DCM Shivakumar. This student transportation scheme adds to the list of progressive welfare programs initiated by the state, such as the Shakti Scheme, which currently provides free bus services to women across Karnataka. With this move, the Karnataka Government has once again underlined its commitment to inclusive, accessible, and quality education for all—especially for underprivileged children. Beneficiaries: Studentsfrom LKG to PUC enrolled in Karnataka Public Schools, Children from economically weaker sections, especially in rural and remote areas, It improves attendance and learning outcomes in government schools. It is a major support system for families struggling with transportation costs and strengthens the government's mission to empower and revamp public education.
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
DK Shivakumar signals free travel for Karnataka Public School boys, transport minister says it's just a proposal
Bengaluru: Will the Shakti scheme, which facilitates free bus travel for women, be extended to male passengers? An announcement made by deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has sparked speculation over the possibility of free bus travel for boys. On Friday, the DCM took to social media to announce that kids studying in Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), from LKG to pre-university level, would be provided free bus travel. He stated the move is aimed at empowering govt schools and offering financial support to students from poor families. However, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy maintained it is just a proposal, and free bus travel for boys will be implemented only if the govt agrees to reimburse the cost of providing the facility. "It is just a proposal made by the DCM. The road transport corporations haven't received any formal instructions in this regard. Any govt scheme requires approval from the state cabinet. Before that, the departments concerned, including the finance department, must agree after reviewing the financial implications," he explained. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The state has 308 Karnataka Public Schools, gaining popularity because English is the medium of instruction. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 나를 빛나게 해줄 예쁜 마음, 예쁜 팔찌 유니세프 지금 기부하기 Undo In the past two years, the four RTCs — KSRTC, BMTC, KKRTC, and NWKRTC — have issued 497 crore tickets to women availing free bus travel under the Shakti scheme. The corporations spent over Rs 12,593 crore to provide the free service. For male students, RTCs have been issuing concessional bus passes with a nominal processing fee. More than 23 lakh student bus passes have been issued in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Shivakumar's announcement on KPS students has evoked mixed reactions, with many arguing the benefit should be extended to all boys, including those studying in private as well as other govt-run schools and colleges. Others suggest the govt should prioritise improving infrastructure in govt schools and filling vacant teacher posts first.
Time of India
09-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Bilingual sections in over 4k Karnataka schools approved for academic year 2025-26
Bengaluru: With an overwhelming demand for English medium, the department of school education and literacy has announced the opening of bilingual sections — English medium along with the existing Kannada medium — in 4,134 schools across the state. Of the total 1,465 govt schools in Bangalore North and Bangalore South, 1,103 have been given permission to start the sections. There are 730 schools in Bangalore South and 373 in Bangalore North from class 1. As many as 11,555 potential schools applied from 33 educational districts. The first 15 schools from each taluk with the highest student enrolment were selected. English-medium sections started under the HD Kumaraswamy regime in 2019-20. Since then, 2,405 schools have had English-medium sections, including Karnataka Public Schools. In 2024-25, 2,000 govt schools were permitted to open the new sections. The first batch is in class 7 now. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The department will appoint guest lecturers for these sections. The teachers will be trained by the department of state educational, research and training and the Regional Institute of English before the commencement of classes. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo "Admissions are ongoing. Since many of the schools knew they were likely to get permission, they already got ready for it and started enrolling students. Since class 1 is the Nali Kali system, the children will not need textbooks," said a senior official. However, educationists warned that the last-minute plans shouldn't affect the training of teachers. "Many English teachers in govt schools aren't specialists in English. They often face challenges related to fluency, confidence, and effective methods of teaching English. Teacher training and teacher mentoring are important in order to upskill teachers, to sensitise them towards curriculum changes, pedagogical and technological innovations, and help them update their knowledge and teaching practices," said a teacher trainer. "Most guest teachers aren't trained in English-medium sections. This is because every year, new teachers are appointed and there are no budget provisions for involving guest teachers in training programmes. Even if they are called for training, they aren't given training material, food, or travel allowance. I hope this time there will be a change," he added.
