The Dakshina Kannada district has received approval from the state government to establish an additional 30 Kannada-English bilingual schools, starting from the current academic year. This decision brings the total number of bilingual schools in the district to 112, contributing to Karnataka’s broader initiative of enhancing bilingual education across the state.
Initially proposing 43 schools, the district’s request was partially approved, with 30 schools granted permission based on criteria including admissions exceeding 75 students. Officials from Samagra Shiksha Karnataka, DK, highlighted the significance of this approval after years of advocacy for expanded educational opportunities.
Bilingual schools in DK have gained popularity, evident from consistently high admissions exceeding 50 students per school annually, with some schools surpassing 100 admissions. This trend underscores the community’s acceptance of the bilingual school model introduced in the academic year 2019-20.
Among the newly sanctioned schools, 13 are allocated to Bantwal, six to Mangaluru North, and four each to Mangaluru South and Sullia. Notably, ZP Govt Higher Primary School in Daddalkad, Bantwal taluk, routinely exceeds 100 admissions annually, reflecting robust demand despite class size limitations.
The expansion of bilingual schools is expected to alleviate pressure on traditional Kannada-medium schools on the same campuses, which face increasing competition for admissions.