Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa has said the government schools in the State will get all the facilities required, and in the next two to three years, people will prefer government schools to private schools.
Speaking to the media at Sorab, his constituency, on Monday, the minister said that the government would increase the number of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) by merging the nearest schools. “The KP Schools will offer education from pre-primary to II PU in one place. The parents will have the option of enrolling their kids in both Kannada and English medium. You will see a significant change in two to three years. People will be eager to send their children to government schools,” he said.
This year, the Minister said the construction of 8,500 classrooms would be completed. The shortage of teachers had been resolved to some extent after 13,000 newly recruited teachers reported to duty. In the years to come, the government will recruit physical education instructors and music and art teachers as well, he said.
Regarding the libraries, the minister said the libraries had been of great help to many students appearing for competitive examinations. “I have personally interacted with students who spend a lot of time in libraries. In a way, libraries have become education institutes where students study regularly. I know we have to improve the facilities required for the readers,” he said.
Responding to a question on Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s recent statement, which turned into a controversy, Mr. Madhu said it was not clear with what intention he made the statement. However, he should clarify it. “I believe his intentions were not bad. However, we need to be careful, as the statements could be misconstrued,” he said.
The minister took part in the programme organised to mark National Library Week at Sorab and attended a programme at government high school at Hale Sorab in his constituency.
Officers of the School Education Department and Library Department were present.
