The Education Department, which lunged into the Karnataka Learning Programme as part of the Karnataka Schools for Quality Education campaign, seems quite serious about improving the quality of education in the State.

Come August 18, a meeting of parents of students studying in government schools, with teachers, nodal officers and various department heads in each school will be conducted all across the State.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Primary and Secondary Education Secretary Vijay Bhaskar said, details pertaining to reasons behind poor performance by schools and steps that need to be initiated in this regard would be discussed. The meet is being organised under the 'Samudayadatta Shale' concept, where parameters will be prescribed to achieve goals fixed during the meet. He said, the quality measured by the Karnataka School Quality Assessment (KSQAO) in government schools registered a success rate of just 48 per cent in higher standards of 5 - 7. The KSQAO studies conducted in 2005 also indicates that only 50 per cent of the students in the State match the required learning levels.

"The learning levels in Standard VII in the State is much lower than the prescribed national levels," he said, adding that programmes had been chalked out under the campaign, where remedial teaching and teacher training modules formed the highlight.
Stating that the Department had linked with Akshara Foundation in 2000, Mr Bhaskar said, the technique being adopted under KLP, a brainchild of the Foundation, had been accepted by the Department because of its scientific applicability.

"We initiated the programme in Bangalore Urban district this July, only because the pilot project conducted by the Foundation emerged successful. Of the 1.83 lakh students assessed, 75,000 students in 1,411 government schools in the City figure under the KLP," he said. the Department was confident of the success of the programme in the City, which would act as a signal for it to further it in other government schools in the State. The Department also hopes to promote KLP as a model for government schools nationwide.
"Cost of the reading material are being borne by the Foundation, while the department has spent Rs 3 lakh on a one-day training programme for teachers," he added. He said the assessment of the growth pattern, if any, was constantly being monitored by the Foundation and the Department.

Future Endeavours

• Science labs and museums to be set up in all districts of the State; Rs 2.12 crore set aside for 270 labs and 27 museums.
• Toilets in all government schools by March 2007 under Total Sanitation Campaign at Rs 70 crore
• Rain water harvesting in 20,000 schools to solve water crisis in districts
• 2,463 libraries at Gram Panchayat level