On February 16, residents of Hanumanala village in Dharwad taluk, Karnataka, protested in front of their village school. They opposed the closure of government schools under the state’s KPS Magnet School scheme. Shashikala Meti, Secretary of the All-India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) district unit, said, "The government of Karnataka is planning to close more than 40,000 government schools under the KPS Magnet Scheme." She explained that as part of this plan, the Government Higher Primary Urdu Model School at Uppina Betageri would become a magnet school, while the Hanumanal school would be shut. The Hanumanal school has 99 students enrolled. Meti added that the government was doing injustice to children of poor farmers and labourers by closing the school. She listed other schools facing closure: Uppina Betageri Government Higher Primary School, Government Higher Primary Girls’ School Uppina Betageri, Government Higher Primary School Hanumanakoppa, Government Lower Primary Urdu School Jalegar Oni Uppina Betageri, Government Lower Primary School Hanumanal, Government Lower Primary School Saibana Koppa, and Government Higher Primary School Kallur. Seven schools in Hubballi are included in the magnet school plan, and over 500 schools in Dharwad district are set to close, Meti claimed. Basaiah Dubbanamaradi, president of the village’s public education campaign committee, said the government should improve facilities in rural schools so poor children can study. He warned, "If the Hanumanala school is closed, we will not send children to Uppina Betageri because there is no proper bus service." He also threatened more protests if the closures proceed.