BENGALURU: To strengthen the education infrastructure, the state government is planning to encourage corporates to invest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds in building schools, which may be named after their companies.
At a Teachers’ Day event at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office on Friday, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said the upcoming cabinet meeting will take an important decision to build schools using CSR funds.
“Companies constructing schools may have them named after their brand. However, the buildings must be of the highest quality, and CBSE-level education should be provided in an urban model. Some schools have already started, and our goal is to build around 2,000 schools.”
Highlighting the need for corporate involvement, he said, “Recently, I read a report that students are leaving government schools for private ones. As per an estimate, around Rs 7,800 crore is available as CSR funds in our state. Some entrepreneurs are yet to commit.” He also cited that CSR funds were utilised to build Karnataka Public Schools in his constituency (Kanakapura).
Speaking at the state-level Teachers’ Day celebration at Vidhana Soudha, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasised that education remains a top priority, with an annual allocation of Rs 65,000 crore. He honoured award-winning teachers and reflected on his own mentors, saying,
“I learned school education from Rajappa Master and political lessons from Prof Nanjundaswamy.” The CM urged teachers and students to focus on rationality, scientific temper, and societal awareness rather than rote learning. “Put down mobiles, pick up books,” he stressed.
Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar said, “We will take decisions within the legal framework regarding the appointment of guest lecturers. At the same time, we must consider the humanitarian aspect.”
In a move to support higher education for girls, Sudhakar announced that 36,000 students will receive annual scholarships of Rs 30,000. Under a scheme in collaboration with the Azim Premji Foundation, girls who completed their Classes 10 and 12 in government schools and PU colleges can avail Rs 36,000 per year for medical, engineering, degree, or diploma courses beyond two years. The chief minister will launch it on September 19.
“With support from the Asian Development Bank, the state is developing 40 first-grade colleges and 10 polytechnic colleges as model institutions at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore, along with establishing nine centres of excellence,” he added.