Bengaluru's public education crisis

Despite hosting about 12% of the school-going population in Bengaluru, government-run schools struggle with deteriorating quality and fund shortage.

Six-seven children under five years sat on a mat and watched the ayah, who was busy stringing jasmine flowers. The window of the dark, dingy room, which looked like a store room, remained closed. 

One teacher was on leave, and children from another primary class sat in the next room on mats with no one attending. Two children were seen fighting. This scenario in a state-run school in South Bengaluru mirrors the dire straits of public schooling in Bengaluru.

The city, comprising the North and South zones, has about 4076 private schools. In comparison, 1483 government schools are run by the state education department and local bodies like Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Panchayats. These host about 12.4% of the school-going population in the Bengaluru North and South zones.

“During Covid, many parents could not pay the private school fees and came to government schools. They all went back when the parents could earn better after Covid,” said a school official, preferring anonymity.

No supporting staff

Whether BBMP or the state-run schools, most schools, even well-performing ones, do not have enough supporting staff, such as attenders, cleaning staff and security. The head teachers are burdened with arranging school security or cleaning toilets.

“When the city was not so crowded, security of school or the children was not a big issue. Now we must see that kids do not stray outside the compound during breaks, with no security guard around. Things are stolen from the school sometimes,” said the head teacher of a state-run South Bengaluru school, preferring anonymity. The school has about 340 children.

Teachers struggle with non-academic tasks in most schools as there are no attenders to run around and clerks for the data entry tasks. Election years turn out to be more problematic for the teachers of state-run schools, as they are required to attend training and go door-to-door, leaving aside the teaching task or sacrificing holidays.

Data from the BBMP Education Department tabled in the Karnataka Legislative Council session last month as a reply to an unstarred question had only the vacancy data about the teaching staff, not the supporting staff. Department sources said the responsibility of supporting staff rests with respective zonal commissioners, and the cleaning task will be done by BBMP poura karmikas.

Funds not enough

Sources from one state-run school said the cleaning grant for the entire year was Rs 4,000, which was insufficient. The school had to get local donors to get funds for cleaning supplies and do the cleaning using external helpers.

This extends to all types of grants. The grants for maintaining the school for the year are based on the school’s student strength. According to multiple sources, the state government did not fully release this last year. Many school authorities hoped the grants would be released this year.

To meet the needs amid the fund crunch, every school can upload their requirements on the government website for a private citizen-corporate partnership called ‘Namma Shaale Nanna Koduge’ scheme. Children in one school were happily flaunting the school bag given by a global corporate with an office in Bengaluru.

A cursory look at the website reveals the infrastructure requirement in each school. “Anyone can check the website and school they want and choose to donate,” said a head teacher. 

With smaller things like desks and chairs themselves unmet, many schools are banking on MLAs and councillors for building repair works, while some approach donors.

BBMP’s issues

Officials say adverse media reports during May and June impact the admissions. He says that the enrolment is low in the old city area, especially in commercialised areas like Gandhinagar, as there are not enough residents within walking distance of the schools. 

In contrast, schools in the outer areas of the BBMP have excellent enrolment and record, the official says. The official gives the example of a high school that started in Herohalli in 2011-12 that has grown to a pre-university (PU) college today, with over 1000 students (750 high school students and 233 college students). The school scored a pass percentage of 88.34% in SSLC and 80% in PU examinations in 2022-23.

The overall SSLC pass percentage is 67.33%, and 13 out of 33 high schools of BBMP have a pass percentage of 70 and above. One school is purely Kannada medium, while 32 schools have Kannada and English as the medium of instruction.

However, the major loophole in the BBMP schools is the staff shortage. BBMP’s data shows that there are just 165 permanent staff in the 167 BBMP schools and colleges, and the BBMP has deployed 792 contract teachers to meet the requirements.

Even the sanctioned posts are just 478 —relatively low compared to the overall number of staff working in the system—957, including contract and permanent staff. The sanctioned strength is outdated today, say sources, adding that the procedures are ongoing to fill the permanent posts and even enhance the number of sanctioned posts.

The quality of teachers is a casualty amid this. Many guest teachers may not have formal BEd or DEd training and may not have passed the Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test. “Teaching younger children needs a lot of patience to answer their questions and be creative to help bring out the best in them. No one knows whether they have that quality,” says Niranjanaradhya V P, an education expert based in Bengaluru.

Karnataka Public School model

Based on experts’ recommendations, the state government developed the Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) chain in 2018-19, which resembles Kendriya Vidyalayas in structure and functioning.

The aim was to provide quality education under one roof, from Class 1 to 12, by merging existing primary, high school and pre-university colleges. Merging of smaller neighbourhood schools and their resources helped the bigger KPS school improve its infrastructure and resources, hence the quality of education.

Today Bengaluru has 28 such schools, with 11 under the Bengaluru North Zone and 17 under the South Zone. There are 283 KPS in Karnataka. These schools can be developed even in collaboration with NGOs, corporates and educationists by following the guidelines released by the department.

Every KPS was planned to have a computer lab, laptops, smart class, printers, CCTV, public address system, reverse osmosis plants, sports materials, fire extinguishers and other facilities.

Niranjan Aradhya says that every ward in Bengaluru should have such a school to provide affordable, quality education. “Bengaluru is the hub of inequality and segregation in education. Education is a fundamental right; the state must provide it to everyone. Reclaiming the public education system in Bengaluru should be the top priority,” he says.

“The government is establishing task forces for everything; let there be a task force for education as well,” he adds.

Going back to Kannada medium

While most state-run schools are slowly being converted to English medium, a group of Kannada parents is meeting today in Bengaluru’s Basavanagudi to discuss the possibility of private schools that will teach science, mathematics etc, in Kannada.

When asked about how the plan fits in the scheme of existing government schools, most of which also teach in English medium, Vasanth Shetty, an entrepreneur who took the initiative to organise the meeting, said that
government schooling getting better is the ideal solution in the long term.

“But in the near term, we need strong advocacy for Kannada medium schools. We need good, functional private Kannada medium schools for that to happen,” says Shetty.

“We are involved here as parents first. I have a conviction about primary education in the child’s mother tongue. I have put my kids in Kannada medium for the same reason. I want more parents like me to join, and that’s possible only with private Kannada medium schools for now,” he says.

Data credit: Schooleducation.kar.nic.in; DDPI - Bangalore North and South; BBMP

Private education is no more a charitable domain but profit-oriented. Parents are exploited every day with high fees and higher expectations. When we have defined the state education department why do others need to run schools such as local bodies or other residential schools? BBMP must focus on the city and civic issues; the Education Department should take responsibility for education. Good public schools in every ward will relieve parents from spending Rs 40000-50000 annually on fees.

Niranjanaradhya V P, Education expert

Going back to Kannada medium

While most state-run schools are slowly being converted to English medium a group of Kannada parents is meeting today in Bengaluru’s Basavanagudi to discuss the possibility of private schools that will teach science mathematics etc in Kannada. When asked about how the plan fits in the scheme of existing government schools most of which also teach in English medium Vasanth Shetty an entrepreneur who took the initiative to organise the meeting said that government schooling getting better is the ideal solution in the long term.  “But in the near term we need strong advocacy for Kannada medium schools. We need good functional private Kannada medium schools for that to happen” says Vasanth Shetty who took the initiative. “We are involved here as parents first. I have a conviction about primary education in the child’s mother tongue. I have put my kids in Kannada medium for the same reason. I want more parents like me to join and that’s possible only with private Kannada medium schools for now” he says.