Bengaluru
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reflected on his own schooling experience, attributing his path to becoming Chief Minister to a teacher named Rajappa who admitted him to school despite initial challenges. Directives were issued by the Chief Minister to ensure education for children excluded from schools due to socio-economic reasons.
An ambitious initiative to construct model schools in 2,000 panchayats under CSR has been launched, as outlined in the budget. A committee comprising senior Ministers and officials has been established for this purpose.
Private companies in the state were mandated to spend Rs 8,163 crore under CSR last year, with a profit of Rs 4 lakh crore earned during this period. However, only Rs 1,190 crore was utilized under CSR, amounting to just 30 percent.
The project began as a pilot in Ramanagar district, with construction underway for 20 schools, each serving three panchayats. Toyota company has contributed Rs 20 crore for CSR in the district, providing construction for school models on 3 acres of land.
Plans have been drafted to construct 2,000 schools across 500 locations in the state over the next three years. Private schools have been urged to support government schools by adoption.
The Chief Minister stressed the importance of conducting an annual survey of children aged 6 to 16 to identify and re-enroll those out of school, reaffirming the commitment that no child should be left without access to education.
