The Karnataka Department for School Education and Literacy has recently made public its plan to close 25,683 government schools across the state under the pretext of mergers with the Karnataka Public School (KPS) within a radius of 1-5 km and construction of 700 KPS within the next two years. The stated proposal is to merge all schools with low enrolment into the nearest Karnataka Public School, calling it a ‘Magnet school’. The definition of this ‘low enrolment’ has been deliberately kept ambiguous.

For lakhs of children across the state, the closure of schools will render them without education. The government states that buses will be provided to ferry students to the nearest KPS, a promise that is highly doubtful and requires the channelling of massive funds. This closure of schools will ultimately lead to increased dropouts, rising transport costs, further push towards private schools, and reduced access to education.

We, a group of students at AISA, teachers, professionals, and parents, are demanding that the Karnataka Department for School Education and Literacy -

• Immediately scrap any plans or proposals to shut down or "merge" 25,683 government schools on the pretext of low enrollment.
• Allocate a greater share of the state's budget to public education.
• Ensure adequate permanent teaching staff in all government schools.
• Boost enrollment in these 25k+ government schools and ensure less dropouts 

It is important that we secure the futures of every single child in the state and the country. Private, high cost education in areas where children cannot afford them will force them into illiteracy, bonded labour, low paying jobs, and will reinforce caste-class divisions remain entrenched in society by denying these children education guaranteed to them by the Indian Constitution.

CONTEXT OF THIS PETITION: The origin of this school-merger initiative can be traced both to the NEP 2020 and a proposal by the School Reform Commission under the previous BJP government to merge all schools with <10 enrolment with the nearest institution. At that time, there was opposition from the Congress, just like how the BJP is opposing it now. Despite formally scrapping the NEP, the Congress government has constantly promoted the provisions of the NEP through the back door. The students, parents, and teachers stand to suffer as this move will make education more centralised and inaccessible.