Bengaluru: The Karnataka government plans to introduce English-medium sections in all government schools from the next academic year, moving towards a bilingual education model to address the growing preference for English-medium education among parents and stem the migration of students to private schools.School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa said parents have the right to choose the medium of instruction. The govt took time to announce a bilingual switchover as it needed qualified teachers.The state has 48,527 government schools as per Unified District Information System for Education Plus 2025-26 data.However, education experts have advised caution, arguing that a statewide expansion should be preceded by an assessment of the functioning of existing bilingual schools and the ground realities of individual institutions.HD Kumaraswamy, as Chief Minister, announced bilingual schools during 2019-20. Since then, 6,539 schools have had English-medium sections. The programme was expanded in subsequent years, with approximately 2,000 government schools permitted to open new English-medium sections in 2024-25. In 2025-26, another 4,134 schools were added to the initiative. The first batch of students enrolled under the programme has now reached Class 7.The government’s proposal comes amid concerns over the declining preference for Kannada-medium government schools, as more parents increasingly seek English-medium education for their children, viewing English proficiency as important for higher education and future employment opportunities.
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