'We're no jhumla govt, have delivered on our promises'

Rithu Dravid| NT

Bengaluru: Madhu Bangarappa, currently serving as School Education and Literacy Minister of Karnataka, began his journey as a Janata Dal (Secular) MLA from Sorab constituency.

He has been representing this constituency since 2004 and has won successive elections with impressive margins. He joined the Indian National Congress in 2021.

Madhu comes from a prominent political family. His father, S Bangarappa, was a renowned politician and former Chief Minister of Karnataka. Following in his father's footsteps, he entered politics.

He is also a producer and actor. He believes in the power of grassroots democracy and wants to bring about positive change through effective governance.

In an Interview with Rithu Dravid from News Trail, he sheds light on his leadership style, political ideology and strategies in addressing issues.

You were in the JD(S) and now, you have positioned yourself in the Congress government. How has the journey been so far?

Oh excellent! It has been 130 days now after our Congress Party got power. The party values my strength and I am happy.

They have confidence in me and handed over a lot of responsibilities. I came into the Congress Party as a worker, then was made State Vice President, Manifesto Vice President, OBC President – the positions I still hold.

I am also an AICC member. My department oversees 76000 schools (including private schools), three and a half lakh teachers and one crore twenty lakh students (up to class 12) - private, aided and government schools. This is my strength.

As Primary and Secondary School Minister, you have promised 3K Schools in rural areas in 3 years. Elaborate.

There is a lot of demand for admissions in Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) which has gone up by 450 percent.

The KPS have good infrastructure, trained teachers and provides bilingual education. These schools are on par with private schools. In today’s scenario, parents are keen to invest in their child’s education.

When Bangarappa, my father was CM, he used to hand over one rupee to school going children as a contribution that would motivate them to go to school.

We also see a lot of rural students migrating to schools in Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Dharwad as these are education hubs. We have an average of 6000 gram panchayats with one or two KPS for every three gram panchayats.

If we are successful, we can expand to 3000 KPS in the near future. The schools provide free education till class 12. We have also introduced pre- primary (LKG and UKG) in KPS, so the child spends 14 years in the same school premises in a safe environment with well-equipped facilities.

Next year, our department aims at setting up 100 more KPS. We have identified land for setting up schools with state -of -the art facilities along with transportation for rural students.

In KPS, other than the core subjects we have introduced art, music, physical training, environmental science. The funds are purely through CSR initiatives. The CM stated in one of the meetings that all CSR funds will go only towards education.

I have coined a slogan that reads- “Your CSR money is well invested for your future”. We have a target of Rs 2500 crores. We will deliver this plan shortly.

How does your department plan to act on the critical issue of filling thousands of government school teacher positions?

We have 53,000 vacancies and appointed temporary guest teachers as of now. I am waiting for the High Court judgment to fill the 13000 teacher posts.

We will likewise appoint permanent teachers. We are further going to appoint around 15000 teachers which is in process. By 2024 there will be no shortage of teachers across schools.

The government has decided to introduce board exams for classes 9 and 11, stating that this measure will better prepare students for public exams in class 10 and 12. Comment.

The three board exams were introduced on 5 September i.e., on Teachers Day this year. Examinations are a way of testing a child’s performance ability.

By providing multiple measures at various levels, we will enable them to perform better and aim higher. We are also enhancing inclusive learning spaces for children with disabilities.

Teachers need to focus on helping children with learning disabilities and slow learners. We cannot only blame students for their inability to perform in exams.

The teachers are equally responsible. I feel it is better to give an opportunity to students rather than miss an opportunity to perform better.

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