Minister for School Education Mr. Madhu Bangarappa said on Friday that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to offer a loan of ₹2,000 crore to upgrade Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) in the State.

In a press conference, Mr. Bangarappa, also the Minister in charge of the Shivamogga district, said the ADB has agreed to extend the loan after analysing the potential for improvement in the KPS.

“The ADB does not offer loans easily. It has deemed it fit to offer loans to schools in the State. We have to clear the loan in a phased manner. I am happy that the government is getting a loan from ADB to improve schools for the first time in recent years,” he said.

The Minister said the State government would be spending another ₹500 crore, which would be utilised to improve infrastructure facilities and teaching quality in the Karnataka Public Schools (KPS).

The government had also decided to increase the number of KP schools by adding more than 400 schools. “Considering the strength of students, we will be spending between ₹2 crore and ₹8 crore on each school to improve facilities. We need to improve the number of teachers and upgrade facilities in the KPS. The students’ strength in these schools will go up as nearby government schools will be merged,” he stated.

The Minister further noted that the department decided to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) tools in teaching. The teachers would use AI techniques in their classes to ensure effective teaching. Similarly, the department would tie up with a foundation run by Nandan Nilekani to improve the communicative English of the students.