Karnataka govt partners with NGO to revitalise state-run schools

The Karnataka government has partnered with a non-governmental organisation Bal Utsav to revitalise 350 government schools in the state under the Nammoora Shaale Nammellara Shaale initiative which aims to improve the quality of education in these state-run schools.

The NGO—as an implementation partner—has signed a state-wide MoU with the Department of Education to establish and operate a model school in every district of Karnataka in its first year (2023-2024) and every Taluk of Karnataka from the second year (2024-2025). 

"The initiative Nammoora Shaale, Nammellara Shaale affirms the crucial role education plays in society and the nation's growth, said BC Nagesh, Minister of School Education, Government of Karnataka in a statement. "We must prioritise education and provide the necessary resources required to enhance our current education system.”

"We express our gratitude towards Bal Utsav and its founder Ramesh Balasundaram, who understands the ground reality of this space, for their proactive efforts towards the goal of elevating our schools to the desired standard,” he added.

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Along with facilitating the rollout of this initiative across Karnataka, the NGO will also be responsible for the operations like overseeing the school infrastructural developments, providing students with classroom essentials, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), teacher development, and ensuring quality education through scholarships.

The initiative is aimed at making quality education accessible for children belonging to lower-income groups along with bringing in more participation from the public. The general public can provide monetary support or donate classroom supplies for the cause which has already received pledges from leading corporates and individuals for over 60 schools in the next 12 months.

In the same vein, Binu Verma, Co-founder and Director of Bal Utsav, said, “We at Bal Utsav believe that this initiative is a significant step towards ensuring quality education for all children in Karnataka and is an important milestone in bringing the ‘public’ into public schools... With education at the heart of it, we remain committed to creating a better future for children, their families, and society.”

Several elected representatives, government departments, communities, private educational institutes, media, and civil society organisations are a part of the initiative.  

Bal Utsav was founded in 2009 to revitalise government schools to provide education to millions of children through its flagship programmes like Sampoorna Shaala and iShaala.

More than 200 schools and 800,000 students have already benefited through these flagship programmes and the foundation aims to change the lives of another one million children across 700 districts in India.