Bengaluru: All schools, be it private or government-run, should have uniform curriculum to ensure quality education for all students from Classes 1 to 12, the Karnataka Knowledge Commission (KKC) recommended to the state government on Saturday.
After submitting a report on the state education policy, renowned space scientist Dr K. Kasturi Rangan, who headed the KKC, said that the CBSE curriculum can be adopted by the government to bring in uniformity among all schools. “However, specific topics relevant to the state, like history, social sciences, culture, arts, scientific development, geography, economics and other unique aspects of the state, can be included” he said.
But he added quickly, “I know it is easier said than done, as this needs massive and urgent efforts by the state government to improve the condition and quality of government schools.”
The committee recommended that apart from committing funds, the government should also tap into CSR contributions from corporate bodies to improve the condition of government schools.
In a recommendation that could attract the ire of Kannada activists, the commission suggested that the state should come out with a consolidation plan for government schools that have less than five students per class. It suggested, “There are about 44,000 government schools and nearly 15,000 of them have less than five students or fewer per class. Such small schools of unviable size need to be consolidated for better utilisation of teachers and resources.”
It said the state government should take steps to amend the Right to Education Act to extend the quota for the poor from class eight to class 12.
On the medium of instruction, it recommended that the students from class 1 to class 4 be taught in Kannada, while from class five the parents should be given a choice to opt for either Kannada or English medium.
On the language policy, it said that the state should emulate the CBSE module. From class 1 to 10, second language should be introduced, while no language should be taught in classes 11 and 12 to allow students to concentrate on their subjects.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait on Saturday said that the state government is committed to start government pre-nursery schools too. He said, “Now, pre-nursery schools have become the monopoly of private players. The state government is planning to start its own pre-nursery schools by the next academic year."
