Pilot for KPS Magnet School gets poor response, teachers of schools served notices

The pilot project of the ambitious Karnataka Public School (KPS Magnet School) in Honganuru, Channapatna taluk, Bengaluru South district, has failed to take off and is resisting severe opposition from parents and villagers on the ground. 

Seven government schools from surrounding villages, with a combined strength of 392 students, were to be merged with the KPS in Honganuru. However, only two schools with a total of 22 students have been merged, and of them, only 7 students have begun attending the KPS Magnet School. The merging of schools in the remaining five villages has been strongly opposed by students and parents.

Notices to teachers

However, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has now issued notices to teachers of the schools in the five villages — Hodike Hosahalli, Kannidoddy, Ammallidoddi, Santemogenahalli, and Sunnaghatta — accusing them of failing to convince parents and students about the purpose of KPS Magnet Schools, their benefits, and the facilities available in these schools. “Appropriate action should be taken to issue Transfer Certificates (TCs) to the children by March 11, 2026, after persuading the parents. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action,” warned the notices issued to the teachers by Ramalingaiah K., Block Education Officer (BEO) of Channapatna.

Pilot project

The State government is planning to start 800 KPS schools across the State to improve the quality of education. It aims to merge nearby schools with these KPS ‘Magnet’ schools and convert them into schools with good facilities. 

The KPS School in Honganuru was chosen as the pilot for this. On October 25, 2025, it was suggested to merge lower and higher primary government schools in seven nearby villages with this school, along with their students, teachers, and furniture. A private bus has been hired to transport the children from the merged schools to the KPS Magnet School in Honganuru.

However, parents who do not agree with the merger of schools have expressed their opposition to sending their children to the KPS Magnet School. Additionally, parents and students have staged protests in their villages and at the taluk headquarters in Channapatna.

Currently, only Channankegoudana Doddi School, which has two students, and Mogenahalli Doddi School, which has 20 students, have been merged with KPS Magnet Schools in Honganuru. Out of the 20 students from Mogenahalli Doddi School, only 5 students are going to KPS Magnet School.

The merger of the remaining schools in Hodike Hosahalli with 77 students, Kannidoddi with 82 students, Ammallidoddi with 31 students, Santhemogenahalli with 100 students, and Sunnaghatta with 80 students, has been met with strong opposition.

The DSEL has now held teachers responsible for failing to attract students and parents to the KPS Magnet School in Honganuru.

Stuck between parents and authorities

“Meetings have been held with the parents eight times since November, 2025. However, none of them agrees to the merger and to enrol their children in the KPS Magnet School. Despite reporting this to the department eight times, the BEO is issuing notices again and again. We are stuck in a deadlock between the authorities and the parents. We don’t know what to do. No one is listening to our problems,” lamented a teacher from a school that is to be merged with the pilot KPS Magnet School.

“The KPS Magnet School project is good. However, parents are opposing the merger of nearby schools. Schools are not just places of education but are also cultural assets of the respective villages. Therefore, the project should be implemented by convincing the villagers with the help of the government, local MLAs, district-level officials, including the Deputy Commissioner and other public representatives,” said another teacher.

The AIDSO student organisation has expressed strong opposition to the establishment of KPS Magnet Schools. In his statement, Ajay Kamath, State secretary of AIDSO, said the government should heed locals’ protests and drop the proposal, and warned that, if not, the struggle would only intensify.