Over 4,200 government primary schools in Karnataka have less than 10 students: Madhu Bangarappa
Bengaluru: Karnataka's School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa revealed that 4,264 government primary schools in the state, which is about 20 percent of the total, have fewer than 10 students enrolled.
Bangarappa was responding to a question from Shantinagar MLA N.A. Haris during the ongoing Budget session. The state currently has around 49,679 government schools, including 21,045 primary schools (Grades 1-5), 22,086 upper-primary schools (Grades 1-8), and 5,051 high schools, as reported by The Indian Express.
The minister clarified that no government primary schools in Karnataka have been shut down due to low enrolment. However, schools with no students are temporarily suspended until enrolment resumes. These schools are not merged with nearby institutions and remain available for future students.
To address low enrolment, the government conducts special drives every May and general enrolment campaigns in June, which include door-to-door visits, leaflet distribution, rallies, and marches, added the report.
Bangarappa also highlighted that students receive free textbooks, uniforms, shoes, and socks from the government. Additionally, the mid-day meal scheme provides students with lunch, along with eggs or bananas, to encourage enrolment.
“Eligible children from deprived areas attending nearby government primary and high schools receive a transport and escort allowance—Rs 2,000 for 10 months in some cases and Rs 6,000 in others. Additionally, schools such as Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) Schools, KGBV Hostels, Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), and model schools are run to support the education of girls and children from special categories,” he was quoted as saying by IE.
Bangarappa also mentioned that pre-primary education is being introduced in 2,619 government primary schools. In 4,196 selected government primary schools, bilingual classes are being conducted, and 600 senior grammar schools are offering English-medium education to help increase enrolment.
Education department officials pointed to several reasons for the low enrolment in government primary schools, including declining birth rates, migration, a preference for private schools, and other socio-economic factors.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
