State govt. announces ‘Free Transport Bhagya' for Karnataka Public Schools students
Focus on quality
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced this on Friday through his 'X' account. 'The government is committed to the bright future of government school children. The State government has decided to start a free bus facility for students studying from LKG to PUC in KPSes across the State, giving major emphasis to strengthening government schools. This is an important thought by the government to empower the children of the poor academically and financially. The government has taken a bold step to empower government schools,' he stated.
However, Mr. Shivakumar did not clarify whether separate buses will be arranged for KPS students under this scheme or free bus passes will be given.
To provide quality education from class 1 to II PUC under one roof by effectively utilizing the available resources, the State government had started a total of 276 KPSes for the first time in 2017-18. Currently, a total of 308 KPSes are functioning across the State and teaching is being done from Pre-Primary (LKG) to II PUC. In addition, bilingual classes, including Kannada and English medium, have been started in all KPSes.
Huge demand
There is huge demand for these schools across the State, and there were instances of parents bringing recommendation letters from local MLAs and public representatives for enrollment in some schools in Bengaluru last year. The number of students in most KPSes has exceeded 2,000.
Earlier, the maximum enrollment limit for each class in KPS was 30 students. Given the high demand from students and parents, the maximum limit for pre-primary classes in KPS has been increased to 40 from the academic year of 2025-26, and the maximum limit for primary and high school classes has been increased to 50 students.
Cabinet has to decide, insists Reddy
Even as the Deputy Chief Minister announced free bus rides for KPS students, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that his department had not received any official order or request from the government or the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) in this regard. 'This decision should be taken in the State Cabinet, then steps will be taken to implement the scheme,' he said, adding that the government will have to bear the cost.
'Free bus travel is already available to all girls and women under the Shakti scheme. Therefore, this will also be applicable to girls of KPS schools. However, we do not have any information about the number of boys in these schools. All the boy students travel in State transport buses using school or college bus passes. We don't know the number of KPS students who have bus passes. Appropriate action will be taken for implementation after receiving a request from the DSEL,' he said.
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