Karnataka unveils state-specific education policy, moves away from NEP 2020

Karnataka has outlined a new state-specific education policy that moves away from the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, with reforms aimed at aligning with the state’s linguistic, cultural, and economic context.

The Karnataka State Education Policy Commission, led by economist and former UGC Chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, submitted its final report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Aug 8.

The commission has proposed a Comprehensive Curriculum for School Education (CCSE) to replace reliance on NCERT textbooks and recommends strict regulation of private pre-primary schools through a separate framework.

It also suggests appointing a dedicated regulator for private schools to address concerns over high admission fees and age-related restrictions.

A notable structural change includes replacing NEP’s 5+3+3+4 model with a 2+8+4 format, two years of pre-primary, eight years of primary, and four years of secondary education.

The policy mandates Kannada or the mother tongue as the medium of instruction until Class 5 across all boards, including CBSE and ICSE.

It also introduces a two-language formula with Kannada or the mother tongue alongside English, reflecting Siddaramaiah’s opposition to the three-language policy, which he has criticized for “Hindi imposition.”

The report recommends increasing the education budget to 30% of the state’s total expenditure, with a 5–10% annual rise in per-student spending.

It proposes setting up the Karnataka State Open School System to help dropouts and working students while making constitutional values education a compulsory subject.

In higher education, the policy calls for extending the state’s reservation policy to private unaided institutions, including universities and autonomous colleges, under Article 15(5) of the Constitution.

It also seeks to place all admissions in private institutions under a transparent and merit-based system.

Unlike NEP’s uniform four-year undergraduate model, Karnataka’s plan favors a 3+2 structure for general education and a 4+2 model for professional courses, retaining flexibility while allowing interdisciplinary learning.

Other key recommendations include free higher education for girls in all government, aided, and unaided institutions; financial incentives to delay child marriage; and bilingual teaching in higher education.

The proposals also include a State Research Foundation with a seed fund of ₹500 crore, increased post-matric scholarship limits for families with an annual income of up to ₹10 lakh, and the establishment of a State Education Finance Corporation to provide employment-linked loans.

The governance reforms suggest merging parallel education bodies into a unified commissionerate, turning DSERT into an autonomous SCERT, reducing regional joint director offices from six to four, and setting up district-level academic administration units.

Foreign student cells in all universities and a Karnataka State Quality Assessment Board are also recommended.

Teacher recruitment reforms include filling all sanctioned posts within five years, maintaining vacancies under 5%, KEA-administered exams for assistant professors, and a new process for appointing college principals.

The commission, which began work on Nov 1, 2023, involved 17 members, six advisors, a member secretary, and 35 task forces covering school, higher, and vocational education.

Over 379 experts participated, holding 132 task force meetings and 42 commission meetings, producing a three-volume, 2,197-page report.

The proposals will be placed before the state cabinet for approval before implementation.