Karnataka has set up a five-member Cabinet Sub-Committee to dig into the problems plaguing students across the state and suggest fixes, according to an official memorandum from the Karnataka Government Secretariat.
The committee, formed following a Cabinet decision dated 21 August, will be chaired by Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khadar. Its members include Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy, Home Minister Priyank Kharge, Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, and School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa.
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According to the memorandum, the panel has been tasked with examining and recommending action on six broad areas:
- Integrity of examinations and recruitment, including preventing question paper leaks and malpractice, and establishing a fixed, time-bound exam and recruitment calendar
- Regulation of fees charged by private institutions and coaching centres, aimed at easing the financial burden on families
- Strengthening infrastructure and quality in government schools, pre-university colleges and universities, including addressing teacher vacancies and inadequate laboratories, libraries and hostels
- Aligning curricula with industry needs, and promoting skill development, apprenticeships and internships
- Strengthening student counselling and support systems, and developing suicide-prevention measures, particularly in coaching hubs and residential institutions
- Expanding scholarships, hostel capacity and support for SC/ST, OBC, minority and first-generation learner communities
The sub-committee will hold wider consultations with students, parents, teachers and institutions across the state and may rope in subject experts to assist its work.
It has been directed to submit its report within one month.
Under Rule 13(5) of the Karnataka Government (Transaction of Business) Rules, 1977, the Higher Education Department has been designated the nodal department for the sub-committee, the memorandum said.
The move comes against a backdrop of recurring concerns over examination integrity in Karnataka, which has seen repeated question paper leaks in SSLC and pre-university exams in recent years, as well as the fallout from the 2026 NEET-UG paper leak controversy that triggered nationwide student protests earlier this year.
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