Karnataka Education Policy Commission seeks 30% budget, curriculum reforms without NCERT books

BENGALURU: The Karnataka State Education Policy Commission has called for a sweeping overhaul of the state’s education system, proposing structural reforms from pre-primary to professional courses, tighter regulation of private institutions, and a substantial increase in government spending on education.

The Commission's chairperson Prof Sukhadeo Thorat on Friday submitted his final report in three volumes to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in the presence of his cabinet colleagues and senior government officers, sources in the office of Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar said.

The 17-member Commission, which also comprises six subject experts, advisors, and one member-secretary, was formed to formulate an education policy. According to a note issued by Sudhakar's office, the panel has proposed adoption of a 2+8+4 system in school education -- two years of pre-primary, eight years of primary, and four years of secondary education -- coupled with a firm emphasis on Kannada or the mother tongue as the medium of instruction up to class five in all board schools.

In its report, the commission recommended that school education be complemented by a bilingual policy pairing Kannada or the mother tongue with English, ensuring children are rooted in their linguistic heritage while gaining access to global language skills. It has also called for residential schools for children from migrant families, a gradual extension of the Right to Education Act to cover those aged between four and eighteen, and the universalisation of secondary education across Karnataka.

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Karnataka moots scrapping NCERT books

To enhance the educational quality, it proposed ending the state’s dependence on National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) textbooks in favour of locally developed content, boosting government school standards to the level of Kendriya Vidyalayas, and stopping the appointment of guest or contract teachers.

Privatisation, it said, must be checked through a dedicated regulator for private schools, while block education offices should be empowered to make academic decisions.

Agencies working in parallel should be merged into an integrated commissionerate, the Department of State Educational Research and Training (DSERT) should be transformed into an autonomous State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) with a focus on research and development, and the Directorate of Lifelong Learning revitalised.

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Karnataka proposes 30% for education in state budget

It also called for raising education’s share in the state budget to 30 per cent, ensuring per-student spending grows by five to ten per cent each year. In higher education, the Commission wanted a comprehensive financing framework that guarantees timely and adequate funding, with expenditure on higher education gradually increased to one per cent of Karnataka’s GSDP by 2034-35.

Further, it recommended raising the share of higher education in the overall education budget between 25 and 30 per cent, and earmarking at least a quarter of this increased funding for infrastructure.

For academic structure, it proposed a 3+2 model for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in general education, a 4+2 model for professional courses, and the continuation of the pre-NEP 2020 re-entry policy.

The report sought to keep fees in government and aided institutions within reach, regulate private institutions through a permanent mechanism, and extend full fee waivers and scholarships to girls in government, aided, and unaided private colleges. It urged reservation compliance in private unaided institutions, creation of a State Quality Assessment Board, and the filling of all sanctioned teaching posts within five years.

Short-term courses, certifications

The commission advocated for the introduction of short-term diploma and certificate programmes, government-funded internships, and region-specific skill councils led by industry leaders.

Emerging technologies such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, life sciences, and nanoscience should be embedded in engineering and polytechnic curricula.

Agriculture studies, according to the panel, should begin at school-level and continue into higher education, with opportunities for dual or joint degrees, international internships, and public-private partnerships with foreign universities.