Karnataka Education Budget 2026-27: No social media for under-16, AI tutors for 12 lakh, IIT-level university

Karnataka Budget 2026 Highlights: Karnataka will ban children under 16 from accessing social media, deploy AI-powered personal tutors for over 12 lakh students, upgrade 800 schools under the KPS model, and fill 15,000 teacher vacancies, announced chief minister Siddaramaiah as he unveiled an education-heavy Karnataka Budget 2026-27 anchored around the government’s “Good Public Education” agenda.

Presenting the budget today, chief minister Siddaramaiah announced measures covering school education, higher education, residential schooling and student welfare, with an emphasis on improving infrastructure, expanding enrollment and modernising learning systems.

The Karnataka budget announcements span a full arc of public education – from pre-primary books and new classrooms to top-grade engineering research, centres of excellence for competitive exam coaching and an IIT-level university in Bangalore.

Karnataka Budget 2026-27: School education

A major component of the school education strategy is the expansion of the Karnataka Public Schools network. The government plans to upgrade 800 institutions to the KPS model over the next three years with an investment of about Rs 3,900 crore.

The KPS model integrates schooling from early grades to pre-university level within a single campus.

The expansion includes 500 schools supported by Asian Development Bank (ADB) assistance, 200 funded through the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board and 100 backed by the Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation.

The budget also allocates significant funds to improve infrastructure in government institutions. About Rs 565 crore has been earmarked for construction of new classrooms and repairs in government primary schools, high schools and pre-university colleges.

Another Rs 75 crore will be spent on building toilets and Rs 25 crore on procurement of furniture. Additionally, Rs 125 crore will be transferred directly to School and College Development Committees to support routine maintenance and institutional needs.

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Karnataka Budget: Teacher recruitment, free learning material

Beginning the 2026-27 academic year, the state will expand free learning materials for students. Along with the existing free textbook scheme for Classes 1 to 10, activity books will be provided for pre-primary students and value education books for Classes 1 to 10. Textbooks will also be distributed free of cost to pre-university students.

The government also plans to address staffing shortages by filling 15,000 vacant teaching posts across schools and colleges during the financial year. Teacher posts in Karnataka Public Schools will be treated as priority positions during transfer counseling.

Karnataka Budget 2026-27: Social media ban

The Karnataka government announced plans to restrict social media usage among minors. “Social media access will be banned for children below the age of 16 in order to prevent adverse effects linked to excessive online engagement,” said Siddaramaiah while presenting the budget. “The ban is aimed at preventing the negative impact on children caused by increasing mobile phone usage.”

The budget introduces several technology-driven initiatives to support teaching and learning in government institutions.

In collaboration with IIT Dharwad, the government will introduce an artificial intelligence based personalised digital tutor for about 12.28 lakh students in Classes 8 to 12. The initiative, estimated to cost about Rs 5 crore, is intended to support individualised learning and improve academic outcomes.

To improve student well being, one qualified mental health counsellor will be appointed in each of the state’s 204 Block Resource Centres to assist students facing stress and psychological challenges.

In addition, an artificial intelligence based facial recognition attendance system will be introduced across schools, colleges and hostels to monitor attendance more efficiently.

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Karnataka Budget 2026: Higher education transformation

In higher education, the state will continue implementing the Karnataka Higher Education Transformation Project, an initiative supported by the ADB with a total outlay of Rs 2,500 crore.

The project aims to develop 40 government colleges and 11 polytechnics as model institutions and establish Centres of Excellence to promote research, entrepreneurship and innovation.

The government also announced the establishment of new government first grade colleges in Chadachana in Vijayapura district, Belagavi Rural constituency and Narasimharaja constituency in Mysuru. Another first grade college will be set up at Maski in Raichur district.

Residential first grade colleges will also be established in Nimbaraga in Kalaburagi district, Kakkera in Yadgiri district, Ambamatha in Raichur district and Bevuru in Koppal district with an estimated cost of Rs 18 crore each.

The University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in Bengaluru will also be developed along the lines of an Indian Institute of Technology, with a total outlay of Rs 500 crore aimed at strengthening research capacity and academic infrastructure.

Karnataka Budget 2026: New courses, support for women

To align technical education with emerging industry demand, the government will introduce 15 new courses in fields such as AI, machine learning, cloud computing and automation engineering.

These programmes will be offered in 11 government polytechnics and in the Government Engineering College in Chitradurga.

The state has also allocated Rs 31 crore to upgrade infrastructure in 31 institutions including government degree colleges, polytechnics and engineering colleges where female enrollment exceeds half of the student population.

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Karnataka Budget: Residential schools, hostels

The Karnataka budget 2026-27 also proposes an expansion of residential schooling infrastructure to improve access to education in underserved regions. Forty new residential schools will be started in Hoblis that currently lack such institutions.

Four Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society schools will be upgraded as Centres of Excellence to provide specialised training for competitive examinations such as K CET, JEE and NEET.

To address the growing demand for student accommodation in major education hubs, the government plans to establish 62 new post matric hostels, including 31 for boys and 31 for girls – each with a capacity of about 150 students.

The government also announced the establishment of 25 new Saint Shishunala Shariff residential schools and the upgradation of 117 Maulana Azad Model Schools to the Karnataka Public Schools model.

Karnataka State Budget: Special initiatives, student support

The Karnataka Budget 2026 also includes several policy and student support initiatives. The state announced plans to enact the Rohith Vemula Act to prevent caste-based discrimination and atrocities against students across universities and higher education institutions.

Two digital libraries and study centres for competitive examination preparation will be established in Bengaluru and Dharwad at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore each.

In addition, the government will support skill development training for about 3,000 female STEM graduates in partnership with AnitaB.org India to enhance employment opportunities in technology and research sectors.