Enrolment in govt schools dropped by 17 lakh in 15 years in Karnataka: Minister

BELAGAVI: Enrolment in government-run schools in Karnataka has dropped by 17 lakh over the past 15 years, Minister Madhu Bangarappa informed the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

Minister for School Education attributed the decline to parents preferring English-medium education, a growing interest in central syllabi, migration, and the increasing number of private schools.

The information was provided in a written reply to BJP MLA and former education minister S Suresh Kumar. Stating that the government has taken steps to improve admissions in government schools , Bangarappa said a statewide enrolment awareness campaign is being conducted from November 14, 2025, to June 30, 2026, to attract students to state-run institutions .

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Karnataka govt launches bilingual classes in 9,522 schools

Between 2018 and 2025, bilingual (Kannada and English) pre-primary sections were introduced in 6,675 government schools, he said. Bilingual classes from grades 1 to 5 have now been launched in 9,522 schools. The minister said computer labs were set up in 5,437 government primary and high schools in 2024–25, while 1,072 more labs are being established during 2025–26.

A total of 3,862 schools have smart-class facilities, and 173 have innovative labs. Science labs are being set up in 489 schools, and 614 pre-university colleges, and vocational education is being offered in 375 schools. Under the Samagra Shikshana Karnataka project, Rs 838.75 crore has been allocated for developing and repairing classrooms, toilets and furniture, he said.

Recruitment is underway for 5,267 teachers in the Kalyana Karnataka region and 5,000 teachers in other districts. To address the teacher shortage, the government has engaged 43,526 guest teachers and 5,508 guest lecturers, Bangarappa added.

He said 309 Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), which offer education from pre-primary to pre-university on a single campus, have been established so far, and another 900 schools are being upgraded to KPS status this year.