AIDSO leads agitations to oppose proposed closure of government schools

The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) led two separate agitations in Ballari on Saturday, as parents and students of Madire and Bapuji Nagar areas staged protests demanding that their government higher primary schools be retained. The protests were part of a wider resistance to the State government’s reported plan to convert several institutions into KPS Magnet Schools, a move that AIDSO alleges will effectively close more than 40,000 government schools across Karnataka.

In Madire, a group of parents and children gathered under the leadership of AIDSO to urge the government not to shift students to the proposed KPS Magnet School in Koluru, located about a kilometre away. AIDSO district president K. Eeranna said the villagers, most of whom are daily-wage workers and small farmers, rely heavily on the local school to educate their children safely and affordably. He argued that younger children could not walk long distances every day, and added that the existing school, with more than 150 students, should be strengthened rather than closed down.

In Bapuji Nagar, residents voiced similar concerns, stating that sending their children to the proposed KPS Magnet School in Andral was neither practical nor safe for families living in economically vulnerable conditions. AIDSO district vice-president M. Shanti, addressing the gathering, said the Bapuji Nagar school currently caters to over 250 children and plays a vital role in providing accessible education to urban poor families. She said the community was united in opposing any move to merge or close the school.

Both protests criticised the government for what they described as contradictory statements — denying plans to close schools while departments simultaneously issued lists indicating proposed closures. AIDSO leaders pointed out that even senior Ministers had admitted that nearly 800 schools could be converted under the KPS Magnet School model from the next academic year, raising fears among parents statewide.

Speakers at both venues invoked the legacy of social reformers such as Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule, along with revolutionary leaders like Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose, saying these figures fought to ensure that education reached the poorest. They accused successive governments of promoting privatisation and undermining public education, thereby denying equitable opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. AIDSO leaders called upon parents, students and local residents to form people’s committees and build united struggles to protect neighbourhood government schools.

Parents, students and local residents participated in both protests, expressing strong opposition to any move that would limit access to free and inclusive education in their communities.