Government schools should exist in every habitation to ensure access to education for all children, says writer Allamaprabhu Bettadur

Educationists, activists, and student organisations opposed the State government’s move to establish Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) magnet schools, which, they said, would lead to the closure or merger of several government schools in rural areas.

The issue was raised at a zonal convention titled ‘Save Our Local Schools’, organised at Dr. S.M. Pandit Rangamandira in Kalaburagi on Saturday (March 14) by student organisations and public education protection committees from different districts across Kalyana Karnataka.

Senior writer and activist Allamaprabhu Bettadur said government schools should exist in every habitation to ensure access to education for all children. He criticised the proposal to merge village schools with larger institutions, citing the example of a school in Hirebaganal in Koppal district that could be merged with another school in Hitnal.

He questioned how students from rural areas can travel long distances to attend such schools and who would bear the cost of transportation. “Centralising education in this manner goes against the principles of democratic and accessible education,” he said, calling for sustained public resistance to the policy.

Speakers at the meeting also alleged that funds allocated to the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB) for the development of the region were being diverted to establish KPS magnet schools, which will result in closure of many government schools in the rural areas.

Ashwini K.S., State president of a student organisation, said using KKRDB funds to close government schools amounted to a betrayal of the people of Kalyana Karnataka. She said the magnet school initiative could deprive children from economically weaker sections of their right to free education. She also called for large-scale participation in a State-level convention scheduled for April 8.

Malipatil, senior farmers’ leader and honorary president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha Chamarasa, said the government should strengthen government schools rather than merge or close them. He urged people to organise protests in every village against the magnet school proposal.

Veteran social activist Raghavendra Kushtagi said the issue has the potential to grow into a major public movement. He alleged that the policy will disproportionately affect the Kalyana Karnataka region, where a large number of socially and economically disadvantaged communities depend on government schools.

Educationist Chandra Girish said that despite poor infrastructure, students from rural government schools often perform well in SSLC examinations. Closing such schools, he warned, will create conditions that encourage the expansion of private schools and make education inaccessible to children of agricultural labourers and other low-income families.

The meeting was attended by education experts, social activists, and representatives of several organisations from districts including Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, and Vijayanagara.