Several parents, students and residents of villages across Kodagu are taking part in a protest against the closure of government schools under the KPS Magnet scheme at Kushalnagar in Kodagu district on Sunday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Several parents, students and villagers from across Kodagu district took part in a protest against the closure of government schools under the KPS Magnet scheme at Mahila Samaja Bhavan in Kushalnagar on Sunday. The protest was organized by All India Democratic Students’ Organization (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 State Treasurer Subhash Bettadakoppa said the government is closing down 235 schools on the pretext of merging them into just five selected Magnet schools located in Kushalnagar, Kudige, Shirangala, Gonikoppal and Kutta.
“Kodagu is a hilly area with no bus routes for many villages. During four months of heavy monsoon, it is impossible for small children of class 1 and 2 to walk 5 to 6 kilometers. If this scheme is implemented, children of coffee estate workers and adivasis living on the fringes of the forest and children of poor farmers will be deprived of education,” he said.
AIDSO state vice-president Abhaya Diwakar, who also addressed the rally, alleged that the previous BJP government had tried to close 13,800 government schools in the name of “merger”. “However, we saved these schools then through nationwide 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 to close public schools and take education away from poor students,” he said.
Questioning the government’s financial priorities, Mr. Diwakar alleged that the government was opening KPS Magnet schools by taking a loan of ₹2,500 crore from the Asian Development Bank. “Has the government reached such a desperate state that it has to 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 in every kilometer, and alleged that the Magnet scheme is a gimmick to privatize schools through outsourcing.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bettadakoppa also pointed out that 62,000 teaching posts are currently vacant in the state, with over 7,000 schools run by teachers themselves and 23,000 school buildings in need of urgent repair. “Instead of providing basic infrastructure, the government is letting schools languish and closing them by the back door,” he claimed.
Published – 29 March 2026 20:08 IST
