BENGALURU: Citing the closure of 3,617 government schools between 2021 and 2026, and around 9,326 out-of-school children (OOSC) in the state, as per a survey conducted by the Department of School Education and Literacy, the Campaign for Right to Education (Karnataka) hosted a public hearing on Friday to deliberate on the state of school education in the state and deliver recommendations to the state government.
The campaign strongly recommended implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) with sufficient allocation of funds, with at least 6 per cent of the gross state domestic product (GSDP) allotted to the education sector. It also demanded that arbitrary closure of neighbourhood schools be brought to a halt, with the expansion of the private sector in education being kept in check.
“Education is a basic human need, along with food, clothing and housing. People should demand that the government consider equal, quality and rights-based education a fundamental responsibility of the state and prioritise for ensuring that all children get equal education in the state,” said former High Court judge HN Nagamohan Das, presiding over the proceedings.
Executive trustee at CIVIC Bangalore Kathayini Chamaraj alluded to the meagre budget allocation to education, saying it reflected a sorry state of affairs that lakhs of crores are being spent on road infrastructure while the state’s education gets disproportionately little.