Karnataka government will recruit 15,000 teachers by 2026-27. 800 new public schools will be built at a cost of Rs 3,900 crore. The free textbook scheme has now been extended to PUC students also, and the infrastructure of schools will be improved.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has made many big announcements in the field of education. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that by the year 2026-27, 15,000 vacant posts of teachers in schools and colleges will be filled. Additionally, 800 new Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) will be built by spending Rs 3,900 crore in the next 3 years. The government has also announced to provide activity books for Anganwadi children, textbooks and value education books for class 1 to 10 children and free textbooks for pre-university (PUC) students.
The government has also fulfilled the promise made in the Budget 2025-26 by upgrading 184 government primary schools to high schools and 50 high schools to pre-university colleges. Making the process of recognition and renewal of schools easier, it has now been made online. From 2025-26, benefits received by students, such as scholarships etc., are being sent directly to their bank accounts (DBT) for the first time. Certificates of study in rural and Kannada medium are also now available online.
800 new public schools will be built
800 schools will be upgraded as Karnataka Public Schools to provide quality education under one roof with the slogan ‘Better Education, Bright Future’. Of these, 500 schools will be built with the help of ADB, 200 from KKRDB funds and 100 from KMERC funds. Rs 3,900 crore will be spent on this entire project in the next three years.
During transfer counselling, the posts of teachers in Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) will be given importance and will be filled on priority basis. Preference will also be given for recruitment to vacant posts in these schools.
PUC students also get free books
The Chief Minister said that our government is committed to strengthening government schools, increasing admissions and improving educational outcomes. Till now, free books were being given to government school students from class 1 to 10. Now by expanding this scheme from 2026-27, activity books will be given to pre-primary children, value education books from class 1 to 10 and textbooks to pre-university (PUC) students will also be given free of cost.
Rs 565 crore will be given for construction and renovation of new classrooms in government primary, high schools and pre-university colleges, Rs 75 crore for construction of toilets and Rs 25 crore for purchasing furniture. A grant of Rs 125 crore will be sent directly to the School Development Committees for the maintenance of schools.
Emphasis will also be laid on enhancing the capacity of teachers to start bilingual classes in government primary schools. For this, teachers will be given English language training by spending Rs 24 crore. In collaboration with IIT Dharwad, AI based digital tutor facility will be provided to about 12.28 lakh students from class 8th to 12th. About Rs 5 crore will be spent on this, so that children will be able to learn at their own pace.
To reduce stress among students and improve their mental health, one health counselor will be appointed in each of 204 BRC centres. This year, Rs 10 crore will be given to reconstruct the hostel building of Sainik School, Vijaypura.
Apart from this, strict rules will be made to prevent drug use in schools, colleges and universities. Programs will be run to make students aware and helpline centers will also be set up for help.