Although funds have been set aside for schools and colleges, according to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, they are not being used to provide children with the most basic facilities.
The CM said that while money has been spent on improving buildings, basic facilities for students should receive more attention. The Science Expo 2023 was inaugurated on Friday, January 27, and was organised by the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS). It was at the inauguration that the CM was speaking.
“The government spends crores of rupees on residential educational institutions. Money is spent on buildings, compound walls and other amenities. As told in the state cabinet and functions, special attention must be paid to provide basic facilities to children. First, you make the changes to be done and then focus on other things,” he said stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
Bommai hit out at the previous government for their shortcomings, stating that the introduction of the government's contract system was what made money allocation possible. “Despite spending Rs 30 crore on each school, the facilities that should have been available to children are absent. This is the gift that the previous governments have given due to the contract system,” he said.
The CM stated that the expo was a positive step toward encouraging children's interest in science. "The science fair is a good experiment to allow kids to express their scientific temper. Earlier, learning science was difficult, which has now changed. To usher in a change in society, science should be introduced to deprived children. The science fair should be expanded to other places,” he said. He also added that additional initiatives to address the deficiencies must be taken to guarantee that students receive adequate training to perform well in competitive exams, as reported by The New Indian Express.
