Page 18 - EW April 2025

Education News

Maharashtra is yet to receive any political instability — the state has newly established universities (less
funding since 2024-25. Moreover, the been ruled by four governments in the than five years old) because they are
much-proclaimed PM SHRI initiative five years past — evidently education not “financially viable”. Shivaku-
to establish 14,500 model schools in of children who have neither voice mar heads a cabinet sub-committee
the state, has been stalled due to fund- nor vote has been relegated to a dis- reviewing state universities. The
ing delays. The RTE Act, 2009 man- tant back burner. But while politicians nine universities under the scanner
dates free education for 25 percent from Prime minister Modi downwards — Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Haveri,
underprivileged children admitted in set ambitious goals to transform In- Kodagu, Koppal, Bagalkot, Maharani
classes I-VIII of private schools under dia into Viksit Bharat (developed na- Cluster, Mandya and Nrupathunga
Section 12 (1) (c). Yet, Maharashtra tion) and a $30 trillion GDP (from the — were established by the previous
owes private schools Rs.2,000 crore in current $4 trillion) economy by 2047 BJP government to make higher
reimbursements, under this account, when the country will celebrate 100 education accessible to students in
some dues pending since 2018. years as a free nation, the reality that the under-served northern districts
hort-changed educationists the public education system in India’s of Karnataka.
Shighlight the state government’s most industrialised state is going from Proof that funds crunch is the
skewed priorities. “The government bad to worse is bad news. prime factor behind the imminent
finds billions for vote-bank freebies, Megha Chowdhury (Mumbai) decision to shutter the nine new
but public schools educating children universities is provided by the state
from poorest households are left to KARNATAKA government’s unofficial freeze on
rot,” says Nitin Dalvi, President all faculty recruitment. According
of the Maharashtra State Primary Populism price to the state’s department of higher
Teachers’ Association, which has education, 4,600 teaching and
membership of 300,000 teachers in he financial burden of fulfill- non-teaching posts are vacant in
government schools. “This isn’t just ing its five 2023 legislative Karnataka’s 32 public universities.
mismanagement, it’s a betrayal of our Tassembly election guarantees The 76-year-old Karnatak University
children.” According to Dalvi, the as- — 200 units of free power for every has the highest number of vacant
sociation has “repeatedly submitted applicant household, 10 kg rice per positions statewide totaling 1,263,
memorandums” to successive educa- person in below poverty line (BPL) followed by Bangalore University’s
tion ministers of the state government households, free-of-charge travel 1,006 vacancies.
but has yet to receive any response. for women in government buses, The Congress government’s
“They blame the Centre, the Centre Rs.2,000 per month for women proposal to shut down nine newly
blames them. It’s a game of passing heads of family and Rs.3,000 for promoted public universities has not
the buck while children suffer,” adds unemployed graduates — is evidently only aroused the ire of students in
Dalvi. proving too heavy for the two-year- Karnataka’s under-developed hin-
Ramesh Thakre, principal of a terland, but also of the high
government-aided school in Chan- powered Forum of Former
drapur, says the institution hasn’t re- Vice Chancellors. On March
ceived any SSA funding for two years. 20, in a letter addressed to
“Almost the entire allocation of the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,
state government goes towards teach- the forum comprising four
ers’ salaries. The Centre’s SSA grants incumbent VCs, 17 former VCs
would have helped to repair broken and deans of public, deemed
toilets and stock classroom libraries. and private universities, urged
Parents say we’re failing, but it’s the the government to reconsider
system.” its proposal.
Without explaining, the Maharash- “After detailed discus-
tra government’s declining provision sion and deliberations, it
for the state’s 107,000 public schools, Shivakumar: “financially unviable” was unanimously resolved to
Sharad Gosavi, Director of Primary seek (sic) that the Karnataka
Education, says: “We’re coordinating old Congress government of Karna- government take a prudent decision
with the Centre to release funds by taka (pop. 70 million). of not closing down/merger of few of
May for 2025-26. A committee under In early March, Karnataka’s the universities, but to take affirma-
the Education Commissioner is ad- deputy chief minister D.K. Shivaku- tive action for capacity building and
dressing delays.” mar announced that the government strengthening of all the nine uni-
With Maharashtra experiencing is contemplating closure of nine versities in a phased manner to the

18 EDUCATIONWORLD APRIL 2025