Belagavi, 21 July

The committee constituted by the Karnataka Border Area Development Authority has found that nearly 90 per cent of Kannada-medium schools in 63 taluks situated along the borders of the State are in a dilapidated condition.

It recommended that the State Government immediately prioritised safety for the children and prioritise grants for school infrastructure in the region.

The findings are part of a comprehensive report prepared with the recommendations of eight universities in Karnataka led by Prof N Chinnaswamy Sosale, senior professor at Kannada University, Hampi. Other universities that participated in the survey and provided recommendations were Rani Channamma University, Belagavi; Bengaluru University; Gulbarga University; Karnatak University, Dharwad; the University of Mysore; Mangalore University and the Tumkur University.

Among the committee’s key recommendations is the establishment of a Kannada-medium residential school in every hobli of the State's border taluks under the aegis of the Border Area Development Authority.

The committee also proposed a separate 5 per cent horizontal reservation for students from neighbouring states who have studied in Kannada medium, along with mandatory admission to government and private educational institutions in Karnataka.