Protest against KPS Magnet scheme in Kodagu

Several parents, students and villagers from across Kodagu district participated in a protest against closure of government schools under the KPS Magnet scheme at Mahila Samaja Bhavan in Kushalnagar on Sunday. The protest was organised by All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) and Save Public Education Committee to oppose the reported closure of 235 government schools in Kodagu district under the KPS Magnet scheme.

Addressing the gathering, AIDSO’s state treasurer Subhash Bettadakoppa claimed that the Government was closing 235 schools under the pretext of merging them into just five selected Magnet schools situated in Kushalnagar, Kudige, Shirangala, Gonikoppal and Kutta.

“Kodagu is a hilly region with no bus facilities for many villages. During the four months of heavy monsoon, it is impossible for small children of Class 1 and 2 to walk 5-6 kilometers. If this scheme is implemented, children of coffee estate workers and adivasis living on the forest fringes, and children of poor farmers will be deprived of education,” he said.

AIDSO’s State vice president Abhaya Diwakar, who also addressed the gathering, alleged that the previous BJP Government attempted to close 13,800 government schools in the name of ‘merging’. “However, back then, we saved those schools through state-wide struggles,” he said. 

Now, the current Congress government is proposing to close 40,000 schools under the KPS Magnet Scheme. “The ultimate goal of all governments seems to be closing public schools and snatching education away from poor students,” he said.

Questioning the government’s financial priorities, Mr. Diwakar alleged that the government is opening KPS Magnet schools by taking a loan of ₹2,500 crore from the Asian Development Bank. “Has the government reached such a dire state that it must borrow from private and international banks to run government schools? Is the tax we pay not enough?” he said.

He also added that the KPS Magnet scheme violates the Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates a primary school within every kilometer, and alleged that the Magnet scheme is a ploy to privatise schools through outsourcing.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bettadakoppa also pointed out that 62,000 posts of teachers are currently vacant in the state while over 7,000 schools are run by single teachers and 23,000 school buildings need urgent repairs. “Instead of providing basic infrastructure, the government is letting schools languish and closing them through the back door,” he alleged.