Rs 2,500 crore for 500 schools: Karnataka plans major government school revamp

Karnataka has planned a major revamp of public schools with Rs 2,500 crore investment. The Asian Development Bank will provide Rs 1,750 crore of the total money. The four-year project aims to expand infrastructure and learning facilities, with work planned until 2029-30.

In Short

• The four-year project will run through the 2029-30 financial year
• State funding of Rs 750 crore will complement the ADB assistance
• Each upgraded campus is expected to serve at least 1,200 students

Karnataka has planned to invest Rs 2,500 crore over four years, until 2029-30, to develop 500 government schools across the state.Of this, ADB will provide Rs 1,750 crore, while the Karnataka government will contribute Rs 750 crore.

The Karnataka government has signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under which the multilateral agency will provide the amount for development of Karnataka Public Schools.

The agreement was signed at Vidhana Soudha in the presence of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa.

WHAT WILL THE KPS MODEL OFFER?

The schools being selected for upgradation are those with the potential to attract larger numbers of students. The aim is for each KPS to cater to at least 1,200 students.

Karnataka Public Schools are model government-run institutions offering education from pre-primary to II PU under one roof, with both Kannada and English-medium options.

Bangarappa said the ADB assistance would help comprehensively develop all 500 schools. He said the agreement followed discussions with senior ADB officials, who reviewed Karnataka's KPS plan, its implementation and commitment to quality education.

The minister said the assistance was the first time ADB had provided such a large amount of financial support to India's education sector.

FROM TEACHERS TO AI: KARNATAKA'S PLAN

Bangarappa linked the agreement to several initiatives, including bilingual education, the Nirantara programme to monitor attendance, recruitment of 15,000 teachers, continuous teacher training and specialised Computer Science teachers.

The state is also preparing to introduce AI education, alongside vocational and skill-based learning and safe transport for rural children.

A Detailed Project Report for the first 100 government schools has already been prepared, and the schools have been identified based on specified criteria.

RS 262.5 CRORE ALREADY RELEASED

Karnataka has already received 15% of the ADB assistance, or Rs 262.5 crore.

The remaining amount will be provided in phases: Rs 358.75 crore in 2026-27, Rs 385 crore in 2027-28, Rs 376.25 crore in 2028-29 and Rs 367.5 crore in 2029-30.

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, ADB Country Director Mio Oka and senior officials attended the signing ceremony. The project aims to strengthen school infrastructure and educational facilities while expanding the KPS model across Karnataka.

(With PTI inputs)

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