The Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah allocated Rs 850 crore on Friday, 16th of Februrary, to enhance the infrastructure of government schools and pre-university colleges including various programs to improve learning outcomes. Furthermore, he announced that more Karnataka Public schools will be established to offer education from pre-primary to pre-university levels and more than 2,000 government schools will be upgraded as bilingual. The University of Vishweshwaraiah College of Engineering will be upgraded, aligned with IITs, with an allocation of Rs 100 crore.
The chief minister, while presenting the state budget for 2024-25 in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, declared that the Karnataka government is emphasizing on improving infrastructure in government schools and pre-university colleges. He highlighted a significant expenditure of Rs 600 crore in 2023-24 and announced an allocation of Rs 850 crore for the same purpose in the current year.
He also declared about the Ganitha-Ganaka program of collaborating with the J-PAL Institute, for students in classes 3 to 5. This program aims to enhance the learning of mathematics among children.
To address the learning gaps among students in Classes 6 and 7, the Marusinchana Programme will be implemented with an allocation of Rs 10 crore. Additionally, a budget of Rs 50 crore will be designated for the establishment of science and computer labs, along with internet facilities, in government high schools with higher enrollment, as part of a two-year package.
According to the Chief Minister every week, all schools and colleges will conduct Navu Manujaru, a two-hour interactive class involving discussions and debates. He also mentioned that these classes aim to promote ideas of social harmony, scientific temper, and coexistence.
In his budget presentation, he also stated that a grant of Rs 10 lakh will be allocated to upgrade science labs in pre-university colleges with an enrollment of over 400 students in the science stream. Additionally, a NEET/JEE/CET training program will be organized for approximately 20,000 students studying in the science stream at government pre-university colleges, with a budget of Rs 10 crore.
Siddaramaiah said that their government has decided to provide all government schools and pre-university colleges with free electricity and water facilities. This will benefit 46,829 government schools and 1,234 pre-university colleges in the state, requiring a grant of Rs 25 crore.
He further announced, while taking the reference of the previous Budget that the State Education Policy Commission has been formed to prepare a draft Karnataka State Education Policy that truly reflects the culture and identity of the State. The Commission is expected to submit its report soon, and the State Education Policy will be implemented based on the Commission’s report.
Government women’s first-grade colleges and the government women’s polytechnic will undergo an upgrade with a budget of Rs 30 crore.
He even declared that to foster research and innovation among students and teachers, a corpus fund of Rs 10 crore will be established. This fund will be utilized to offer technical and financial support to students and teachers keen on applying for patents.
