Ex-minister Suresh Kumar wants special debate on government schools

BENGALURU: The government school system has returned to the political spotlight, with senior BJP MLA and former education minister S Suresh Kumar firing a letter to the Speaker, demanding an entire days special debate during the upcoming winter assembly session in Belagavi. Kumars missive, which is an indictment of the system, reminded the Speaker that the issue was admitted for discussion on August 22, 2025, during the monsoon session, but the debate was abruptly curtailed. The Speaker had publicly promised a fuller, longer discussion during the winter session, which Kumar is now insisting on. The former minister said the the Assembly can no longer ignore three realities -- enrolment in government schools is plunging every year, an increasing number of schools are being shut down, and poor and middle-class families are being pushed into private schools and debt traps. This House must deliberate on the future of lakhs of children from poor and middle-class families, Kumar warned, arguing that quality education is drifting out of reach of those who need it the most.