7 months ago
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The Karnataka government, which is readying to commencement the Karnataka Public Schools (KPSs) crossed the State, has projected to merge adjacent authorities schools with what it calls ‘KPS Magnet’ schools that person bully facilities.
On a pilot, the KPS schoolhouse astatine Honganuru successful Channapatna taluk of Bengaluru South District has been identified arsenic a magnet school, and steps person been taken to merge arsenic galore arsenic 7 authorities Lower Primary Schools (LPS) and Higher Primary Schools (HPS) successful adjacent villages with this school.
The Honganuru schoolhouse was successful the quality precocious for its alumni pumping successful ₹14 crore to refurbish it and adhd caller facilities.
Educationists and pupil organisations person expressed objection to this determination to adjacent authorities schools successful the sanction of ‘merging’ them.
Magnet schoolhouse project
To fortify authorities schools, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has decided to upgrade 800 authorities schools into KPSs astatine a outgo of astir ₹3,000 crore. These schools volition supply acquisition from pre-primary to II PUC nether 1 roof.
However, smaller schools wrong 5 to six km radius volition beryllium merged with magnet schools with up to 1,200 students selected, based connected enrolment, location, and infrastructure.
Under the aviator project, the schools to beryllium merged astatine Honganuru are: LPS successful Hodike Hosahalli colony with 77 students, LPS successful Kanni Doddi with 82 students, HPS successful Ammalli Doddi with 31 students, HPS Santhe Mogenahalli with 100 students, LPS successful Mogenahalli Doddi with 20 students, LPS successful Sunnaghatta with 80 students, and HPS successful Channanke Gowdana Doddi with 2 students.
The Block Education Officer (BEO), Channapatna, has issued a circular successful this respect and has instructed the officials to database and certify each the carnal documents, teaching aids, furnishings and each the schoolhouse materials successful the schools to beryllium merged and manus them implicit to KPS Honganuru.
“Steps should beryllium taken to contented the Transfer Certificates (TCs) of these schoolhouse children. Transport arrangements person already been made for the convenience of schoolhouse children and due steps should beryllium taken to guarantee that children get transport facilities astatine the specified time,” reads the circucular.
The Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI), Bengaluru South District, visited these schools and discussed with the headmasters and SDMC presidents, members, and parents. He besides instructed the teachers to person the parents astir this.
Opposition to merger
Educationists and pupil organisations person expressed beardown absorption to this.
Educationist V.P. Niranjanaradhya said, “This determination by the authorities is simply a conspiracy to adjacent authorities schools. The National Education Policy (NEP-2020) chiefly proposes the merger of schools and the commencement of clump schools. As portion of this, the erstwhile BJP authorities had projected the merger of 13,800 schools successful 2022. However, the State authorities is present readying to merge 25,000 authorities schools by starting 800 KPS. Closing schools connected specified a ample standard means implementing the NEP successful the State. It is ridiculous that the State government, which is defying the NEP and going to instrumentality the State Education Policy, is again continuing the elements of the NEP.”
Ajay Kamath, State caput of AIDSO, a pupil organisation, said, “The authorities had earlier, nether nationalist unit and aft wide protests, promised not to adjacent oregon merge immoderate authorities school. However, by introducing the KPS, the authorities is erstwhile again attempting to centralise resources and dismantle tiny and agrarian schools, thereby weakening the existing authorities schoolhouse network. This volition inevitably pb to nonaccomplishment of entree to adjacent neighbourhood schools for children from mediocre and agrarian backgrounds, particularly among miss students.”
