Karnataka to add English-medium sections to all government schools
School education minister Madhu Bangarappa announced the bilingual model will be rolled out to 48,527 institutions by June.
The Karnataka government will introduce English-medium sections in all 48,527 government schools starting from the next academic year, according to Urban Acres.
School education minister Madhu Bangarappa announced the plan on Thursday, stating the rollout is intended to be completed by June. The government aims to provide parents with the option to choose their preferred medium of instruction to prevent students from moving to private institutions.
The initiative follows a phased expansion where English-medium sections were introduced in 6,539 schools. In the 2024-25 period, 2,000 schools were permitted to open these sections, and an additional 4,134 schools were added for 2025-26. The first batch of students under this initiative is currently in Class 7.
In Bengaluru, 1,103 out of 1,465 government schools in the North and South districts have received permission to start English-medium sections. This includes 730 schools in Bengaluru South and 373 in Bengaluru North, with approved schools offering classes from Class 1.
While Bangarappa noted that parental preference is a central factor in the decision, some teachers and observers have expressed concerns regarding teacher preparation. One high school teacher claimed that current three-day training programmes are largely cosmetic and noted that teaching subjects in English requires specific skills, especially in rural areas.
The state government previously delayed the statewide announcement to address the availability of qualified teachers. The government now aims to convert the remaining government schools into bilingual institutions by June.