Magnet Schools Scheme will destroy govt schools, corporatise public schooling, say educationists

Bengaluru

“This is an attack on public schools,” said S.G. Siddaramaiah, former chairman of the Kannada Development Authority, highlighting the threat faced by government schools at a convention held on Thursday against their proposed closure under the Karnataka government’s KPS Magnet School Scheme.“This convention vehemently condemns the undemocratic, anti-people and anti-education policy of the Karnataka government to close down nearly 40,000 government schools under the deceptive guise of the KPS Magnet School Scheme,” a statement issued at the event read.

Speakers raised several concerns regarding the scheme, including the closure of public schools, implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), and the possibility of a long-term corporate takeover of the education system. Rajashekhar V.N., Vice-President of AISEC, criticised the magnet school model the government seeks to implement. “They want to implement a failed model of the U.S.’s magnet schools here. It is unsuitable and will exclude poor students, who will be forced to spend more on transportation,” he said.

Educationist Niranjanaradhya V.P. and others questioned the government’s claims that schools were being closed due to a lack of students. “They said they would not close public schools; that was a blatant lie,” he said.The convention also highlighted the longstanding neglect of public schools, noting the large number of institutions requiring repairs, functioning toilets, drinking water facilities, and adequate teaching staff. Participants argued that the state was deliberately weakening government schools to pave the way for private players to completely corporatize the education system.

Members further questioned the scheme’s funding, which includes a Rs 2,000-crore loan from the Asian Development Bank, asking whether this financial support was tied to dismantling the public education system for corporate benefit.Anthropologist A.R. Vasavi stressed the need to identify who benefits from the public education system and who does not, to guide the campaign’s next steps.

The scheme has already begun rolling out, with a model magnet school established in Channapatna taluk following the closure of seven government schools. The convention resolved to launch a statewide mass movement demanding that the government halt school closures. Its list of demands includes stopping the KPS Magnet School Scheme, revitalizing all government schools, rejecting what it called a corporate- and foreign-driven model of education, and introducing a two-language formula under which children will be taught in their mother tongue and in English.