The upcoming inauguration of a new CBSE school in Chikkodi, located in the Belagavi district of Karnataka, will be conducted by the Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, on February 28th.
According to Prabhakar Kore, chairman of the KLE Society, the KLE English Medium School in Chikkodi, which commenced operations in 2020, spans a five-acre campus with a built-up area of 1,05,000 sqft, involving an investment of ₹17 crores.
Mr. Kore mentioned that Dr. Jaishankar’s connection to Chikkodi, having served as a probationary officer there years ago, prompted the invitation for him to inaugurate the school.
The school boasts modern amenities including IT-equipped classrooms, advanced computer and science labs, a digital library, sports facilities, and provisions for music and arts training. Additionally, to facilitate rural students’ access, the school has organized monitored travel facilities through school buses. Currently, the school caters to over 400 students from nursery to class 8, managed by a team of 50 staff members.
The inaugural event is expected to be attended by various dignitaries including Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, MLC Prakash Hukkeri, MLAs Ganesh Hukkeri and Mahantesh Koujalagi, MP Annasaheb Jolle, and KLE Society president, Praveen B. Kamble.
Established in 1916 with a single school, the KLE Society now operates 310 institutions spanning education, healthcare, and research, serving a total of 1,38,000 students with a staff exceeding 18,000.
Notably, over half of these institutions are situated in rural and semi-urban areas, including Kannada and English medium schools across Ankali, Nipani, Haveri, Soundatti, Athani, Gadag, Gokak, Malur, Galataga, and Kerur.
A distinguishing feature of these institutions is their infrastructure, which is on par with those in urban areas. The KLE Society also manages 15 CBSE schools and seven State board English medium schools in Karnataka and Maharashtra, accommodating more than 21,000 students, as reported by Mr. Kore.