Enrolment in govt schools fell by 1.7mn in 15 years: Minister
Karnataka's school enrollment has dropped by 1.7 million over 15 years. The state launches a campaign to boost government school attendance and improve infrastructure.
State school education minister Madhu Bangarappa on Thursday told the assembly that enrolment in the state’s government schools had fallen by 1.7 million (17 lakh) over the past decade and a half.
In a written response to BJP MLA and former education minister S Suresh Kumar, Bangarappa said the drop reflected multiple trends, including demand for English-medium instruction, rising interest in central syllabi, migration patterns, and the expansion of private schools.
The minister said the state has launched a statewide enrolment campaign running from November 14, 2025, to June 30, 2026, aimed at drawing more students into government schools. He noted that a series of academic and infrastructure initiatives were underway to strengthen public education.
According to Bangarappa, bilingual (Kannada and English) pre-primary classes were introduced in 6,675 government schools between 2018 and 2025, while 9,522 schools now offer bilingual instruction from grades 1 to 5.
The minister said computer education has expanded significantly, with labs set up in 5,437 government primary and high schools in 2024–25. Another 1,072 labs were being established in 2025–26. He said 3,862 schools have smart-class facilities, 173 are equipped with innovative labs, and science labs are being installed in 489 schools and 614 pre-university colleges. Vocational training is offered in 375 schools.
Under the Samagra Shikshana Karnataka project, the government has allocated ₹838.75 crore for classroom development, repairs, toilet construction and furniture upgrades. Recruitment efforts include hiring 5,267 teachers in the Kalyana Karnataka region and 5,000 in other districts. To address the immediate shortage, 43,526 guest teachers and 5,508 guest lecturers have been brought in.
Bangarappa said the state is also focused on improving learning outcomes through lesson-based assessments and programmes such as Maru Sinchana, Jnanasethu, Kalika Deepa and Ganiga Ganaka.
The minister said the government is upgrading at least one school in every gram panchayat to Karnataka Public School (KPS) status, enabling them to offer pre-primary to pre-university education under one roof, with 309 KPS institutions established so far.
