Infra boost to expansion of eggs and scrapping NEP 2020, Karnataka education department sees new reforms :
In a major policy reform, the Siddaramiah-led Congress government in its state budget for FY 2023-24 has announced the scrapping of the center’s National Education Policy 2020 and the formulation of the state’s own education policy. This move aims to align the education system with the local, social, cultural, and economic context of the state while raising the standards of higher education to a global level and empowering youth to compete globally and access employment opportunities.
The Congress government has allocated a total of Rs 37,587 crore (11% of the total budget expenditure) for the education sector. However, this allocation is 1% lower and reduced by Rs 373 crore compared to the former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s budget presented before the elections. The government aims to construct 8,311 classrooms in pre-university colleges and schools with an allotment of Rs 550 crore. Additionally, Rs 200 crore has been set aside for the construction of new toilet complexes in 5,775 schools and 150 colleges, based on student enrollment.
To address the issue of old, dilapidated, and rain-damaged school buildings, the chief minister has allocated Rs 100 crore for the repair and maintenance of 3,833 school buildings and 724 pre-university college rooms. Moreover, a grant ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 45,000 will be provided to each government primary and high school in the state for building maintenance. Approximately Rs 153 crore will be allocated for the maintenance of around 47,272 schools and 1,231 pre-university colleges.
In a positive development for high school students in government schools, the provision of supplementary nutrition food (such as eggs, chikkis, and bananas) will be expanded to include Class 9 and 10 students. The government has also decided to provide supplementary food twice a week, benefiting around 60 lakh students.
Similar to the BJP’s program, the Congress will introduce “Kalika Balavardhane” at a cost of Rs 80 crore to address learning deficiencies in children. Additionally, under the new program “Marusinchana,” 1.5 lakh students with learning deficiencies will receive special training to prepare for secondary-level examinations. To foster innovation and creativity among children, innovation labs worth Rs 2 crore will be established in higher primary and pre-university colleges, encouraging students to transform their imaginations into reality.
Responding to the demands of litterateurs and publishers in the state, Rs 10 crore will be allocated for the purchase of books for public libraries. Furthermore, the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, a state-run autonomous university, will receive a grant of Rs 25 crore to enhance infrastructure facilities.
To combat the issue of fake marksheets, the government will make it mandatory for all higher education students to register in the Academic Bank of Credits and access their marks cards and certificates through NAD (National Academic Depository) or Digilocker. Additionally, 224 residential hostels currently under the higher education department, with a capacity of 13,169 students, will be transferred to the Social Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare department.
To enhance the skills and capabilities of departmental staff, suitable training programs will be organized for around 7,800 individuals at the Higher Education Academy under the “Vruthi Chaitanya” program, with a budget of Rs 10 crore. In order to streamline the process of filling Ph.D. seats, common counseling will be conducted for all government universities and 40% of seats under private universities.
Overall, the state budget emphasizes the importance of education and aims to improve the quality of education, infrastructure facilities, and opportunities for students in Karnataka. The focus on personalized education policies, infrastructure development, and skill enhancement programs demonstrates the government’s commitment to uplifting the education sector and empowering the youth of the state.
