Opposition mounts against KPS Magnet as educationists warn of rising dropouts, job losses, and exclusion of marginalised children
Left student organisations, including the All India Students’ Federation (AISF), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) and All India Students’ Association (AISA), held a protest convention in Bengaluru on Tuesday opposing the State government’s “KPS Magnet” scheme, under which more than 25,000 government schools are allegedly proposed to be shut.
The convention, held at Gandhi Bhavan, accused the Congress-led government of weakening the Right to Education Act through the consolidation of government schools. Educationist Niranjanaradhya alleged that the scheme amounted to an attack on universal access to education. “The Congress government has attacked the Right to Education Act which they themselves implemented,” he said while addressing the gathering.
VN Rajashekhar, State Vice President of the All India Save Education Committee, said closing neighbourhood schools violated the vision of freedom fighters and education reformers. He said pioneers of the Navodaya movement wanted education to reach every village, but schools were now being shut in the name of KPS, calling the scheme an attempt to turn education into a commodity.
M Shashidhar, State Secretary of the AIKKMS farmers’ organisation, warned the scheme would disproportionately affect children from poor farming families. He said KPS Magnet pushes students to schools three to five kilometres away, asking whether landless farmers and labourers can manage this daily. He added girls would be most affected, cautioning that loss of education could force early marriages there. Representing anganwadi workers, Sunanda criticised both the Centre and the State governments, stating that “their conspiracy to swallow children’s education is condemnable,” while pursuing policies that harm farmers, labourers and marginalised communities.Malini Mesta of the Midday Meal Workers’ Association said the scheme would deepen the crisis in public education. Noting that out-of-school children in Karnataka have risen to 22%, she questioned official assurances, saying that while the Education Minister claims schools will not close even with one child, over 25,000 are shutting, risking lakhs of dropouts and jobs for 40,000 workers.
