Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa said on Wednesday that the State is set to transform school education with the establishment of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS), with 1,250 schools planned in the first phase to provide quality education and facilities on a par with private institutions.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Children’s Dasara programme at Kalamandira here as part of Mysuru Dasara-2026.

He said former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had taken a keen interest in establishing 1,000 KPS schools, while Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had directed officials to work towards setting up another 1,000 schools. With these initiatives, around 2,500 KPS schools were expected to come up across the State, he said.

The KPS schools would provide education from pre-primary to pre-university level on a single campus. The government would also provide free school bus facilities to improve access to education, he added.

Around 6,500 children are participating in various cultural programmes organised as part of Dasara. Even before taking the stage, children enthusiastically participated in rangoli and drawing competitions, expressing their perspectives on Nada Habba through their artwork.

In his speech, Mr. Bangarappa said children were more important than God, as they held the key to the country’s future. Recognising and encouraging their talent was everyone’s responsibility, he said.

Mr. Bangarappa said around 1.16 crore children came under his department and that working towards their welfare and educational advancement was a privilege. Providing quality education to such a large number of children remained a major priority of the government, he added.

Expressing happiness over inaugurating the Children’s Dasara programme, he said the occasion was special as it was being held in the presence of Abhinava Gavisiddeshwara Swami, seer of Gavimutt, Koppal. “I have prayed that with the grace of Goddess Chamundeshwari, the State would overcome drought and farmers would prosper.”