Members of the All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) staged protests in Belagavi against the State government’s plan to introduce magnet Karnataka Public Schools, alleging that the scheme would lead to the closure of rural government schools. Activists claimed that nearly 40,000 schools across the State could be affected.
On Monday, AIDSO members took out a protest rally and gathered at Dharwad Naka on the Pune–Bengaluru National Highway near the Suvarna Soudha, raising slogans against the government’s education policy. They expressed concern that large-scale school mergers were being carried out in the name of reform, with around 2,000 schools in Belagavi district alone likely to face closure.
AIDSO State vice-president Abhaya Diwakar accused Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa of making misleading claims about the scheme. She said that while the Minister has stated no government school would be shut, Education Department officials have already closed schools in districts such as Yadgir, Channapatna, Chitradurga and Chikkaballapur.
Subhash Bettadakoppa of AIDSO said the government could introduce Karnataka Public Schools as an alternative model, but not by merging or shutting down rural schools. He added that the government had failed to address issues such as declining student intake, teacher shortages, lack of infrastructure and poor quality of education in public schools.
He further pointed out that studies show most school dropouts come from deprived sections, particularly girls from backward and minority communities. While the government has highlighted English-medium instruction as a key feature of Karnataka Public Schools, it has not adequately trained teachers or filled over 60,000 vacant posts, he said.
A separate protest was held on Tuesday at Channamma Circle in Belagavi under the leadership of AIDSO, where students demanded the immediate withdrawal of the ‘KPS Magnet’ policy and an end to the proposed closure of government schools. Protesters warned they would continue their agitation until their demands are met.
Leaders including Rajashekar S., Mahantesh Bilur, Arun, Eeranna, Vaibhav and other activists participated in the demonstrations.
