Bengaluru: The budget for 2022-23 presented by Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai has made several important announcements for the improvement of the education section in Karnataka including free coaching for poor students to prepare for NEET exams to get admission to medical courses. 

After hue and cry in the social media platforms on high donation for MBBS and MD seats in the Country, netizens have demanded to curtail capitation menace in medical colleges across the country, CM announces free coaching for poor students in the state. 

His announcements gets significant after more than 3000 students left for Ukraine to pursue medicines. Due to high donations in private medical colleges in the state, many students studying medicines in war-hit Ukraine. Among them, Haveri student Naveen was killed in the  Russian shelling attack on Tuesday. 

After this tragic incident voice has raised against high capitation fees in Karnataka medical colleges. Parents and people have raised voices against medical colleges' 'daylight robbery' in collecting donations for MBBS seats. Compared in India, medical education in Ukraine is cheap. 

Moreover, people have criticized the state government that many meritorious poor students are deprived from getting seats in medical colleges due to the high fee structure and poor people not being able to compete with city students who have getting tuition for NEET. 

To help poor students to undergo competitive exams, a free coaching facility will be provided through online platform for KPSC, UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, CDS, NEET, JEE and other various competitive examinations under a new scheme named “Mukhyamantri Vidhyarthi Margadarshini”.He announced to establish a new award for teachers in the name of Savithribai Phule.

Mentioning about National Education Policy, a new curriculum will be formulated for pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher secondary, teachers’ education, and adult literacy.

In order to improve the quality of education in Government Schools of the State, schools having basic infrastructure facilities at the Hobli level will be upgraded as “Model Schools”.

He announced to set aside Rs.100 crore to provide furniture to the Government high schools and pre-university colleges.

To meet the demand of upgrading high schools to PU colleges, he said that some select High Schools will be upgraded as Pre-University Colleges, depending on the availability of infrastructure and student strength.

With regard to filling up vacant posts in the education department, he said that approval has been accorded to fill up 15,000 vacant posts of teachers in primary and higher secondary schools in the year 2021-22. The recruitment process is in progress.

Some 27,000 guest teachers have been appointed to ensure that there is no hindrance to the education of children till the recruitment process is completed.

The CM said that the new curriculum will be implemented in 20,000 Anganwadis at a cost of Rs.30 crore, in coordination with the Department of Public Education and Department of Women and Child Welfare Development.

He said that some 1,000 Gram Panchayats will be converted to fully literate Gram Panchayats in the next two years.

For the promotion and technology in education sector, Bommai said that digital libraries will be established across the State by the Department of Public Libraries.

The digital libraries already established by all departments will be integrated with the Department of Public Libraries.