- The Strengthening Karnataka’s Public School (SKPS) programme marks ADB’s first large-scale public-school transformation programme in India
- First ADB project using IFFEd’s innovative guarantee model to tackle financing gap in education
- Key programmatic focuses include modernising curricula, embedding green competencies and building pathways to higher education and employment.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd) have co-financed a $182 million dollar loan to strengthen the public school system in the State of Karnataka, India. More than a million students will benefit.
The programme marks both ADB’s first large-scale support for public school transformation in India and the first co-financed programme with IFFEd, using guarantees and grants to increase financing and scale effective education interventions.
Karnataka has one of India’s youngest populations and aspires to become a global technology hub. Yet less than half of those of working age complete secondary education and nearly 30% lack skills needed to pursue higher education or employment.
Alongside unlocking financing, the partnership sees inclusion prioritised with the programmatic design focusing on rural communities, low-income groups, disability and gender pathways. It will modernise curricula, embed green competencies and build employability skills, equipping students effectively to pursue technical and vocational education and training and enter employment.
Designed in close collaboration with the Karnataka State government, the Strengthening Karnataka’s Public School (SKPS) program is aligned with Government of Karnataka’s education reforms and the Indian National Education Policy 2020. SKPS will establish 500 integrated school clusters providing a coherent and holistic approach from pre-primary through to secondary levels. The programme will invest in teacher training, updated assessment systems and partnerships with employers to ensure adolescents, particularly girls and rural students, gain the skills needed for the green jobs of the future.
ADB will anchor the delivery of SKPS in deep country experience and ongoing reform programmes, while the IFFEd model helps build capacity, strengthens data and accountability, and encourages policy reforms that focus on maximising impact and outcomes.
Additional Chief Secretary, School Education, Government of Karnataka, V. Rashmi said: “The Strengthening Karnataka Public Schools Programme (SKPS) will support Karnataka in becoming a global technological hub, by improving learning outcomes and building the employable skills of youth across the state. The catalytic financial support being provided by the ADB and IFFEd, centered on inclusion and aligned with Karnataka’s education reforms, will strengthen delivery outcomes and drive educational attainment.
Asian Development Bank Country Director for India, Mio Oka said: “SKPS will help Karnataka build future-ready public schools especially in underserved areas that give students stronger foundations, better learning opportunities, and clearer pathways to jobs and higher education”
IFFEd CEO, Karthik Krishnan said: “The approach taken in India shows how the IFFEd-ADB partnership can bring transformational projects to life and raise the bar on project design. IFFEd is helping to shape opportunities for youth in rural areas, for girls and for young adults with disabilities. The project also showcases IFFEd’s commitment to unlock the learning and earning multipliers, by leveraging every donor dollar sevenfold and having a strong focus on measurable education impacts that meet real country priorities, build capacity and help young people thrive in tomorrow’s economies.”
SKPS demonstrates how IFFEd’s innovative finance model turns one dollar of donor capital into up to seven dollars of affordable, sustainable finance, enabling countries in the “missing middle” to invest in education at scale. By combining donor guarantees with grants, IFFEd expands multilateral balance sheets and lowers the cost of borrowing, ensuring that the finance is genuinely affordable, sustainable and aligned with national priorities.
SKPS implementation is expected to be kicked off in the second half of 2026. ADB and IFFEd will continue working with national stakeholders to expand the pipeline of co-financed education investments that drive resilience, opportunity and inclusive growth.
15th July 2026
