On Friday, members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) held a ‘Belagavi Chalo’ protest in Belagavi against the merger of schools and the commercialisation of education. The protesters gathered near the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha and raised slogans targeting government policies. They argued that these policies reduced public investment in education and increased commercial interests. The protest turned tense when police allowed only those with Aadhaar cards to enter the site. SFI members sat in a dharna demanding all students be allowed. Later, they submitted a memorandum to Fisheries Minister Mankal Vaidya. The SFI demanded a detailed discussion in the Winter Session on issues like corruption in education, the need to increase public spending on education and health, and job creation for youth in professional courses like ITI and engineering. They also called for the immediate release of scholarships and arrears. The protesters stressed the urgent need to protect girl students from violence and increase hostel facilities. “Every year, around 10 lakh students apply for hostels, but only 2.5 lakh get in. All those who apply should get hostel facilities,” they said. They also demanded food allowances to be raised with the cost of living. SFI condemned the State government’s decision to merge government schools with fewer students, blaming poor infrastructure, vacant teaching posts, and delayed textbook distribution for falling enrolment. They said, “Existing schools should be strengthened instead of opening new model schools under the ‘KPS magnet schools’ scheme.” The government admitted over 60,000 teacher vacancies in primary and secondary schools and 15,000 vacancies in colleges. SFI demanded immediate action. They revealed that over 30 lakh students have not received marksheets in the last five years, despite paying fees. Research in universities is declining, with students not receiving adequate fellowships. The protesters rejected PPP model medical colleges, saying medical, law, and engineering courses are now unaffordable for poor and rural students. Private colleges charge high fees, pushing the middle class into debt. They demanded opening more government colleges. SFI State president Shivappa Amblikal and other leaders including Vijayakumar T.S., Sujatha Y., and Basavaraj S. led the protest. Several other activists participated in the event.