Residents of some villages in Belagavi district staged protests against the State government’s proposal to merge rural schools with Karnataka Public Schools under the magnet schools scheme.

In Hallur and Honnihal villages, students and parents joined the demonstrations organsied by AIDSO in front of government schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. They passed resolutions to collect signatures of villagers and to submit a petition to the education officers, against the closures of village schools.

Villagers protested against the government’s decision to close the Hallur school and merge it with Sulebavi school under the magnet schools scheme.

They held banners in front of the village school saying “Our village school is our jewel”.

They vowed not to let the government close their Nammura School for any reason.

Bharamappa Sanadi of the Save the School Committee said that most of the village residents are poor workers and are finding it difficult to send their children to school due to poverty.

“If our school is closed and our children are forced to go to another village for schooling, none of them can go. First of all, our village does not have bus service. Asking our children to go to Sulebavi for primary and high school by bus is a cruel joke on us. It seems the government is playing with the future of poor children by closing down rural schools. Most of us go to work at 6 a.m. How can our children take a bus to school in another village at that hour? The government should not close down our village school,” he said.

Parents, villagers and students, including Bharamappa Kaleri, Bharamappa Kanabaragi and Sanju Honakeri, participated in the protest.

A similar protest was staged in Honnihal village. Residents raised slogans against the government for its decision to merge rural schools with magnet schools.

Bharam Uchagaonkar of the Save the School Committee demanded that both types of schools, rural schools and Karnataka Public Schools, must co-exist. “We have been fighting for five months now. If our village school is closed, our children will be deprived of education. Let the government strengthen village schools by giving necessary facilities,” he said.

Villager Shivanna said that most parents will be discouraged to send girl students to a school in another village. “As of now, it seems that there is no security for girls in society. Who will take responsibility for the safety of our young girls if they are to travel by bus to a faraway village? We demand that the government should reverse its decision,” he said.

AIDSO district coordinator Mahantesh Bilur called upon people to join an agitation against closure of rural schools.

“Primary education is the priority for rural households. It is easily available to all as there is a government school in this village that lies in the mountains. If this school is closed, then all the children of this village will be permanently deprived of education. But the government is putting a damper on the dreams of the people of this village that their children get good education. The State government should focus improving the lives of the poor and abandon its decision to close government schools in the villages. “Our protest will not stop till the government drops the magnet schools scheme,” he said.

Mr. Bilur said that the government is blind to the people’s opposition to the scheme. Officials are obtaining signatures of parents by misleading them in districts like Ramanagara. In Dharwad Zilla Panchayat, a decision has been taken to close down schools with less students. A list of schools to be closed in Belagavi has been prepared already. “This is a grave injustice done by the government to farmers, workers and all the poor people,” he said.