Bengaluru: The ADB and the Karnataka government on Friday signed an agreement under which the multilateral agency will provide Rs 1,750 crore assistance for developing 500 government schools across the state as KPS.The agreement was signed at Vidhana Soudha in the presence of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa.Under the project, the state government plans to invest Rs 2,500 crore over the next four years, till 2029-30, for developing the 500 Karnataka Public Schools (KPS).While the Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide Rs 1,750 crore, the state government will contribute Rs 750 crore.Schools with the potential to attract a larger number of students are being selected for upgradation as KPS institutions, with the objective of enabling each school to cater to at least 1,200 students.KPS are model government-run schools that provide education from pre-primary to II PU under one roof, with both English and Kannada medium options.Bangarappa said the ADB assistance would help comprehensively develop all 500 schools. Over the next four years, that is, by 2029-30, the state government will spend Rs 2,500 crore to develop 500 Karnataka Public Schools. ADB will provide Rs 1,750 crore in assistance, while the remaining Rs 750 crore will be provided by the state government, he said, according to a release from his office.The minister said the agreement was finalised following discussions with senior ADB officials and claimed that this was the first time the bank had extended such a large amount of financial assistance to the education sector in India.He said ADB officials had reviewed Karnataka's KPS plan, the steps taken for its implementation and the government's commitment towards providing quality education before approving the assistance.Bangarappa attributed the agreement to several initiatives undertaken by the state, including bilingual education, the 'Nirantara' programme for monitoring student attendance, recruitment of 15,000 teachers, continuous teacher training, appointment of specialised Computer Science teachers, preparations to introduce AI education, vocational and skill-based education and plans to provide safe transportation facilities for rural children. We have already prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for developing 100 government schools as KPS. The schools to be upgraded into KPS have been identified, he said.The minister said schools were being selected on the basis of specified criteria.He also said 15 per cent of the ADB assistance, amounting to Rs 262.5 crore, had already been provided.Of the remaining assistance, Rs 358.75 crore (20.5 per cent) is scheduled for 2026-27, Rs 385 crore (22 per cent) for 2027-28, Rs 376.25 crore (21.5 per cent) for 2028-29 and Rs 367.5 crore (21 per cent) for 2029-30.Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, ADB Country Director Mio Oka, senior ADB officials and senior officials of the Department of School Education and Literacy were present at the signing ceremony.The agreement is aimed at strengthening infrastructure and educational facilities in government schools and expanding the KPS model across Karnataka.
