The Government of Karnataka has released the Draft State Education Policy (SEP) 2025, prepared under the chairmanship of Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat with contributions from 379 experts across 35 task forces. Spread across three volumes and more than 2,000 pages, the policy provides recommendations for school, higher and professional education.
School Education
SEP 2025 recommends a 2+8+4 structure—two years of pre-primary, eight years of elementary, and four years of secondary education. It proposes Kannada or the mother tongue as the medium of instruction until Class V and introduces a two-language policy combining Kannada/Mother Tongue and English. The policy calls for the creation of a Comprehensive Curriculum for School Education (CCSE) and a move away from reliance on NCERT textbooks, encouraging development of locally relevant content. It also suggests extending the Right to Education (RTE) Act up to 18 years, thereby covering senior secondary education.
To expand access, the SEP proposes residential schools for migrant children, universalisation of secondary education, and aligning public school quality with Kendriya Vidyalayas. On governance, it suggests establishing a regulatory body for private schools, strengthening Block Education Offices, converting DSERT into an autonomous SCERT and reviving a Directorate for Lifelong Learning. On finance, the state is advised to allocate 30% of total expenditure to education, ensure annual per-student spending growth of 5–10%, and earmark funds for equity, quality and teacher training.
Higher Education
The policy recommends raising education spending to 4% of GSDP by 2034–35, with 1% for higher education. At least 25% of these funds should be directed to infrastructure. It also proposes a 3+2 model for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in general education and a 4+2 model for professional programmes.
For access and inclusivity, SEP 2025 suggests free education for girls in government, aided, and private unaided institutions, stipends to reduce migration-linked dropouts, and expanded scholarships for low-income groups. It also recommends targeted measures to improve participation from disadvantaged communities.
Research and innovation are supported through the proposed State Research Foundation with ₹500 crore seed funding and state-funded Junior Research Fellowships for Ph.D. students. For quality, the policy suggests establishing a Karnataka State Council for Quality Assessment (KSCQA), filling all teaching vacancies within five years, and strengthening teacher training. Reservation rules are to be applied in private unaided institutions to ensure uniformity across the system.
Professional and Vocational Education
The policy emphasises job-oriented diploma and certificate courses, especially in rural and agriculture-related fields. It recommends forming division-specific skilling councils led by industry leaders and promoting entrepreneurship. Emerging fields such as AI, data science, biotechnology and quantum computing are identified for expansion in universities and polytechnics. For agriculture, SEP 2025 proposes diplomas in precision farming and food processing, developing Kannada-language textbooks, and creating research networks across farm universities.
Conclusion
The Draft SEP 2025 provides a set of recommendations aimed at strengthening education in Karnataka. It outlines reforms across school, higher and professional education, with attention to access, language, governance, funding, and future skills.
Dharani S
Assistant Professor, CESS