Bengaluru: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has announced plans to link 1,000 government schools with private schools in the first phase of the ‘Namma Shale Namma Javabdari’ (Our School, Our Responsibility) initiative to improve educational quality and infrastructure in rural areas.
Launching the programme at a meeting with corporate social responsibility (CSR) representatives at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said the state aimed to connect a total of 2,000 government schools with private institutions.
The state’s 6,000 gram panchayats have been divided into three categories, with 1,000 schools selected for priority development in the initial phase. The initiative is expected to deliver results over the next four to five years.
Shivakumar said Karnataka receives around ₹8,800 crore in CSR funding annually and companies had been urged to channel a portion of it towards rural school development. Private schools can adopt up to three government schools, depending on their financial capacity.
Development work has already begun in 30 schools in Bengaluru South under CSR funding. Toyota is supporting the construction of 23 schools in Ramanagara district, with an investment of ₹10 crore to ₹15 crore per school.
The state has also secured a ₹2,000-crore World Bank loan to improve infrastructure in Karnataka Public Schools (KPS).
Shivakumar said Karnataka accounts for 38 of the 140 internationally standardised schools in the country. He stressed that improving education facilities in villages would reduce the need for children to move to cities for quality schooling.
He appealed to private schools, companies and individuals to contribute to the initiative, describing government school development as a shared social responsibility.
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