In a bid to boost the quality of education at the school level, the Karnataka government has allowed pre-university courses (PUC) from next academic year. The PUC courses will be offered in the state government-run residential schools.
“Start the Pre-University Colleges from next year in those schools which have completed 10 years and the students are in 10th standard,” Bommai said after inaugurating ‘Science Expo-2023’ of the Karnataka Residential Education Institution Society (KREIS) at the Palace Grounds here.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that all residential schools will also have to conduct competitive examinations so that students are prepared for challenges once they complete their education and go out in search of jobs.

CM Bommai directed the social welfare department to give up the tendency of spending money only on constructing school buildings to gratify contractors. Instead, the focus should be directed toward improving the quality of education.
“We spend thousands of crores of rupees on these institutions. We are spending more on buildings and compound walls,” Bommai said and insisted that the focus should be on the “requirements” of the students studying in these residential schools. Bommai said, “Stop giving money to the contractors. Change that model itself.”

According to Karnataka’s chief minister, the spending on building schools had started from ₹5 crore, which escalated to ₹10 crore and ₹14 crore and now it has reached a stage where the government spends ₹30 crore on each school. “Spend ₹30 crore on the arrangements (facilities) for children. On the one hand, government money is draining and on the other, the arrangements required for the children are not happening,” the Chief Minister said.
Bommai blamed the previous governments which he alleged had been splurging money on building schools, instead of improving the quality of education.

According to Bommai, “quality education will not continue” if the students have to go to various other schools after completing 10th standard because the competitive examinations for them start after completing their Pre-University education. Hence, the students have to continue their PUC education from the same residential school, he said. “Conduct competitive exams in these schools among the children. We have provided them a level playing field to find out the shortcomings among the children so that it can be set right and their capacity is increased,” the Chief Minister said. He instructed officials to give him a list of shortcomings in the schools and assured that the government will give grants. Bommai also directed officials to visit schools instead of “running administration” from Bengaluru.