KSCPCR registered suo-motu case against school merger

The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has registered a suo-motu case against the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in connection with the merger of seven schools with the Karnataka Public School (KPS) in Honganuru of Channapatna taluk and Bengaluru South district.

The commission has filed a suo-motu case based on the report published in The Hindu on November 13, 2025, and has directed the commissioner of DPI to submit a report with appropriate clarifications within three days.

“The DPI is planning to start about 900 new KPS schools in the State, many of which have been identified as magnet schools and steps have been taken to merge neighbouring schools with low enrolment. The news report states that thousands of schools will be closed due to this,” reads the notice.

The commission has considered this issue very serious and it has expressed concern that the sudden closure of government schools will deprive economically and socially backward students of education.

AIDSO protest

All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), a student organisation has staged a protest at Freedom Park against the State government, which is threatening over 25,000 government schools with the merger of surrounding schools under the Karnataka Public Magnet Schools scheme.

Addressing the protest, AIDSO State Secretary Ajay Kamath said, “As per the government order, 900 schools have been identified as Karnataka Public Magnet Schools. This means schools within 1 to 5 km radius of a KPS with less than enrolment of 50 students will be merged.”