CM to lay foundation stone for 1,000 Karnataka Public Schools on June 1

Shivamogga: Chief minister Siddaramaiah will lay the foundation stone for the construction of 1,000 Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) across the state at Shivamogga on June 1.School education and literacy minister Madhu Bangarappa announced this during a preparatory inspection of Freedom Park here. He said the initiative, with an estimated cost of RS 3.5 crore per school, positions education as a priceless guarantee and a national model.While 800 KPSs will be built by education department, 200 will be built by minorities department. All schools will offer modern facilities under a single roof, he said.As part of the launch, CM, DCM and other ministers will have lunch with schoolchildren. The event will also felicitate 867 district students and other state-level toppers who scored above 600 in the SSLC examinations.Highlighting academic progress, Bangarappa said PUC results had improved to 92.2% from an earlier 45%. He added that the quality of education had also improved, with a 4.5% increase in students scoring above 60%. He attributed the gains to timely interventions, including the immediate recruitment of essential guest teachers after assuming office.He said Shivamogga district, which currently has 12 KPSs, will see 19 more schoos upgraded to KPS status. The effort will receive additional support through a Rs 12 crore CSR fund from a private firm.Beyond education, Bangarappa said a request had been submitted to the CM seeking a special relief package for farmers whose arecanut crops were destroyed by recent storms in Holehonnuru and nearby areas. Emphasising voting as a fundamental right, he urged election officials and citizens to remain responsible and vigilant during the ongoing electoral registration process.The preparatory meeting was attended by MLC Balkish Banu, former MLC Ayanur Manjunath, deputy commissioner Prabhuling Kavalikatti, ZP CEO N Hemanth and SP B Nikhil.It is learnt that local party functionaries are expected to place development demands before the CM, seeking a package similar to the Rs 600-crore project recently announced for Tumakuru.