Activists highlighted teacher shortages in government schools, teacher absenteeism, regional disparity and lack of facilities as reasons behind the poor performance of Kalaburgi and Yadgir in the PUC 2 and SSLC board exams.
Published May 10, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated May 24, 2025 | 7:47 PM
A government higher primary school building in Karnataka. Representational image. (iStock)
Synopsis: Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts in Karnataka have consistently shown poor results in school education due to a combination of social and human factors. Activists have noted that without conscious and sustained efforts, improvement is unlikely.
The districts of Kalaburagi and Yadgir in the Kalyana Karnataka region have consistently performed poorly — often ranking at the bottom — when PUC 2 and SSLC exam results are announced.
Yadgir district recorded the lowest pass percentage in the 2024–25 PUC 2 results released by the Karnataka School Examination Authority, with just 48.45 percent, followed by Kalburagi at 55.70 percent. In the SSLC exams as well, Yadgir recorded a low pass percentage of 51.6 percent, while Kalaburgi fared even worse with just 42.4 percent.
In the last two years, these two districts were in the bottommost spots, while districts like Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have been achieving considerably high pass percentages as well as having the highest number of toppers in college and high school.
People South First spoke to highlighted teacher shortages in government schools, teacher absenteeism, regional disparity, lack of facilities, including toilets and water, along with modern problems like smartphone and social media addiction, as reasons behind the poor performance of Kalaburgi and Yadgir in the PUC 2 and SSLC board exams.
Raibag-based government school teacher Veeranna Madiwalar, who has been working extensively in the Kalyana Karnataka region for the welfare of children and schools, told South First that the primary reason for the low pass percentage in the region is the teachers’ lack of dedication.
“The main reason is the mindset and lack of dedication of teachers at the primary and high school levels. They receive a regular salary from the government, whether they teach or not. Some teachers attend school only twice or thrice a week. My friends and I often raise these issues with the Block Education Officer and other education department officials with an IAS rank. Whenever the officers take action, they transfer the teachers to other places.”
He also stressed that teachers must ensure children don’t remain absent from school often.
He said, “Some parents take their children along with them to work in fields, and they remain absent from school for more than a week. When we visit them, they send the children back to school. However, by the time the students would have forgotten all the basics of maths, science and languages. Compare our teachers with those working in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Why do they fare well every year in SSLC and PUC? Their mindset towards education is different from our teachers. They educate and train their kids so well that they fare well in exams.”
Veeranna also highlighted the shortage of over 50,000 teachers in the state.
Ravindra Rudrawadi, a teacher at a government school in Nandguru in the Kalaburgi district, told South First, “There are just two teachers in our school. While I teach students in classes 5 to 7, the other teacher teaches children in classes 1 to 4.”
Asked about how students could follow lessons, given that the level of Maths and Science keeps changing according to the syllabi of different grades, he said, “This is how it works in most villages in Karnataka. We have to take combined classes. For Classes 8, 9, and 10, there are separate classes—provided the teachers actually attend school and conduct them. They are not penalised or suspended even if they remain absent. Local political leaders, teachers, and officials are all hand in glove. If teachers are absent from school, how can students be expected to attend classes?”
Ravindra also highlighted the lack of water and sanitation facilities in government schools in villages.
“Students, especially teenage girls, need proper water and toilet facilities at schools. Even if we have toilets, there is insufficient water not there to clean them. Hence, during lunch hours, the girls go home to relieve themselves and don’t come back. In that way, they miss the classes for the rest of the day. Water shortage is an urgent issue that needs to be addressed in our parched districts. But, who will address it?” he asked.
Noting that some teachers are “careless” towards school and children, Ravindra said that smartphones and short videos, such as Instagram Reels, are a huge menace.
“Almost all the students of classes 8 to 10 are involved in making reels using smartphones. If parents are hesitant to buy them phones, they are stubborn enough to take their parents’ phone. In some cases, children emotionally blackmail their parents to make them buy phones.”
He also pointed out another issue: Students being influenced by politicians.
“In our village and some other surrounding villages, boys have a mindset of following local political leaders. They end up remaining absent from school and participating in rallies. Even their parents encourage them to do so. They assume that, by doing so, they will become great leaders or become famous enough to participate in the elections,” Ravindra added.
Right to education (RTE) activist Niranjananaradhya VP opined that equal opportunity is absent in the Kalyana Karnataka region.
“Regional disparity and gender disparity exist at the highest level in some of the districts in the Kalyan Karnataka region. If we speak about equity in the absence of equal opportunity, how are we going to achieve results or any positive outcome? There is so much regional disparity. Their basic right to education is snatched away by the government. Around 52,000 teacher posts are vacant in the state. In high schools, there is a shortage of 13,000 teachers. The highest shortage of teachers is in these districts, including Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Kalaburgi and others in Kalyan Karnataka region,” he told South First.
He also seconded the opinion of teachers like Veeranna and Ravindra: “I have been telling them (the authorities) to provide good elementary education. Unless you provide proper foundation to children, from class 1 to 5, what do you expect them to learn in class 8,9 and 10 or PUC 2?”
Niranjananaradhya also said, irrespective of the party in power, the government does not have a road map to improve basic facilities in the region.
“There is a conflict of interest among MLAs and MPs; they improve and fund their private education institutions rather than improving government institutions. Apart from teachers and politicians, parents play an important role here. They still have those superstitious beliefs and practice various rituals during solar and lunar eclipses. We tried creating awareness among them when I was working with the Child Rights Commission in 2009, but to no avail. There is no favourable environment for children to get proper education and perform better,” he added.
The National Multidimensional Index Report: A progress review 2023 also highlighted that Yadgir and Kalaburagi are among the four poorest districts in the Kalyana Karnataka region. Yadgir and Kalaburgi were among the four districts. According to the report, Kalaburgi has a poverty rate of 18.36 percent, and Yadgir has an even higher rate of 25.38 percent.
Mastan Biradar, a social worker and teacher who conducts classes in the slums of Kalaburgi, said, “Due to poverty, families from Kalaburgi migrate to Bengaluru and Mumbai in search of jobs. In such cases, families marry off girls when they attain 16 or 17 years of age, rather than sending them to school or college. Even if they enrol them in government residential schools or colleges, they fear their daughters might elope with boys. For them, it is a matter of honour. After marrying them off, the family moves to another city.”
He also highlighted that the mindset of people needs change. However, he noted that it would need a long time or might never happen.
When asked why people in the region are not fully utilising government schemes, he said: “People here do make use of government schemes and programmes related to education and finance. However, many still hold on to traditional mindsets. Very few ensure their children, especially girls, receive higher education by enrolling them in government residential schools and colleges.”
Another social worker, on condition of anonymity, told South First, “Child marriage already existed in the Northern parts of Karnataka. Now, it has increased since the Union government integrated child helpline number 1098 with the national emergency helpline number 112.”
“Recently, a 16-year-old girl informed a headmaster that her parents were trying to forcefully get her married while she wanted to pursue education. I also got to know about it. Her teachers and I approached the police and stopped the marriage. Her parents promised that they would get her married only after she attained 18 years age of. However, they said they will not send her to school and even tore off her books and school bag. Such is the mindset of the people here. How do you expect the districts to fare well in the results?” the activist questioned.
According to the Niti Aayog report, Yadgir is among the 112 districts in the country having the lowest indicators in terms of health and nutrition, displaying stunted growth in 64 percent of children aged below three years.
Similarly, the POSHAN survey and report 2022, led by the International Food Policy Research Institute, which made a detailed study regarding health and nutrition of Kalaburgi district showed that 35 percent of the children below five years has stunted growth, 25 percent has wasted growth, 36 percent are underweight and 75 percent are anaemic.
“The state government provides 10 kg of rice to people below the poverty line under the Anna Bhagya scheme. Do you think only rice is enough to address nutrition issues in a district like Yadgir and Kalaburgi? Children who go to school get eggs to eat, what about others? Parents who work as daily wagers or labourers cannot afford to spend on eggs, vegetables or meat. One must understand that the labourers will not have guaranteed work throughout the year. They may not have work for three months, or sometimes even more, due to bad weather or lack of water,” Veeranna noted.
In 2022-23, Yadgir was in the bottom position in terms of contribution to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), and Kalaburgi stood at the 16th position. Yadgir’s Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) stood at 2,275,351 crore, and Kalaburgi contributed 4,586,818 crore (in current prices).
“The mindset of political leaders, teachers in government schools and parents must change. Talent is abundant in terms of academics, sports and art in both Yadgir and Kalaburgi, but we lack a good mindset with good intentions here. There can be no improvement in the condition of people even if you give a reservation to the Kalyan Karnataka region under 371(J) for another two decades, if there is no change in mindset,” Veeranna noted.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
