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Published Oct 08, 2024 | 2:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 08, 2024 | 2:00 PM
Educationist Gururaj Karajagi. (supplied)
In what should have been a straightforward attempt to fix Kalyana Karnataka’s less-than-stellar SSLC exam results, a political soap opera has unfolded, starring the ideologically charged Dr Gururaj Karjagi, an educationist.
With a background said to be linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Karjagi’s informal appointment to the Educational Quality Improvement Committee of Kalyana Karnataka despite strong opposition from the Congress MLAs and ministers, has the grand-old-party workers flipping tables.
Congress loyalists demand to know why a person with RSS roots would be allowed to help fix the region’s education woes. According to them, it’s like inviting a cat to a mouse party — suspicious, imprudent, and bound to cause chaos.
But here’s the kicker: the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) insisted that not a single paisa from the state’s exchequer was used in this supposedly informal meeting.
“We’re shelling out money from our wallets for this noble cause!” KKRDB officials claimed, essentially asking everyone to chill out, reminding critics that this was just a brainstorming session, not a clandestine ideological takeover.
But Congress workers are not having it. To them, this feels like the beginning of a covert operation to turn school textbooks into RSS-approved bedtime stories.
Meanwhile, KKRDB officials argued that the only thing they’re plotting is how to lift the region from the bottom of the SSLC results list.
After all, who cares about someone’s ideological background when the region’s education stats are so bad, students in Class 8 are struggling to read Class 2-level texts. It’s a crisis of epic proportions, and they’ll take help from anyone with a pulse and a plan at this point.
While the Congress camp calls for Karjagi to be shown the door, the KKRDB seems to be saying, “Let’s not turn this into a political WWE match. We’re just trying to teach kids how to read and excel in academics!”
All this drama, mind you, before anything official has even been announced! The actual committee is set to be formalised only on 1 November. So stay tuned.
With ideological clashes and political finger-pointing reaching fever pitch, it seems the biggest challenge isn’t just boosting exam scores, but surviving the political brawl without someone getting metaphorically body-slammed.
At the heart of this circus is the simple truth: Kalyana Karnataka’s students need better education, not better political fights. But in true Karnataka fashion, even fixing schools can’t escape the tug-of-war between the Left and Right.
