KSCPCR asks School Education Department to submit report on closure of schools in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Amid rising outcry over the Congress government’s proposal to merge state-run schools that have a low enrolment with the Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has asked the School Education Department to submit a report on the issue in three days.

Having registered a suo motu complaint, KSCPCR cited media reports on the probable closure of schools in its letter to the Commissioner of School Education Department. “There have been reports of the department greenlighting merger of schools in Channapatna in Bengaluru South district with the upgraded KPS institutions. There is speculation about the possible closure of 7,000 government schools. KSCPCR is concerned about the potential closure of schools, since it could have an adverse impact on the future of children from economically weaker sections,” reads the letter.

Meanwhile, members of the All-India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) held a demonstration in Bengaluru to protest the government’s move to close schools under the garb of merging them with KPS.

AIDSO’s Karnataka secretary Ajay Kamath claimed that schools where the enrolment numbers are relatively high – 110 – are also facing the prospect of closure. “According to the government order, 800 institutions have been identified as 'magnet' schools. This means that schools within a five-kilometre radius where enrolment is less than 50 will be merged with the magnet schools,” Kamath said.

The AIDSO functionary was, however, quick to point out that he was not against the establishment of KPS in every Gram Panchayat. “But this could lead to closure of many government schools, effectively leaving only 5,900 state-run institutions – one for each GP,” Kamath added.