Kannada Rajyotsava: Teaching Kannada in educational institutions remains a challenge

Karnataka govt. ready to frame regulations for Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act-2022, to promote multilingual school education, CBSE allows regional language from pre-primary to class 12, govt. amended RTE-2009 to make Kannada compulsory in primary schools, but Union Ministry of Education yet to take action.

As Karnataka marks 50 years of being named so, celebrations of the State, its languages and culture abound, implementation of teaching Kannada in the education system continues to be a challenge. From legal hurdles to reservations from parents and schools, there are obstacles galore for Kannada to be taught as a compulsory language in all schools.

Amidst all this, Karnataka government is ready to frame regulations for the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act-2022, which was passed by both Houses during the previous BJP government’s tenure. An expert committee has been constituted headed by Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj S. Thangadagi. “Our committee has already held three meetings and discussed how to formulate appropriate regulations according to the Act. The work of drafting the rules is in progress. After the rules are finalised, we will discuss with the Chief Minister and appropriate action will be taken to implement it,” he told to The Hindu.

The provisions of the Kannada Language Learning Act-2015 will continue to apply in the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act-2022. According to the 2015 Act, “All students studying in classes 1 to 10 in all schools in the State will learn Kannada as first or second language in a phased manner.” Along with this, Kannada language in higher, technical and professional education and reservation in higher, technical and professional education for Kannada medium students have also been added in the new Act.

After a major setback due to the Supreme Court’s judgement against the Language Policy-1994, in which either the mother tongue of the student or Kannada was made compulsory medium of instruction in all primary schools in 2014, the State government brought the Kannada Language Learning Act in 2015. This Act came into effect from the academic year 2016-17. However, private schools affiliated to central boards (CBSE, CISCE) and following NCERT curriculum have not been teaching Kannada as the first or second language.

The government has made provision to taught Kannada as a second or third language in the rules of Karnataka Learning Language Act and the Karnataka Educational Institutions (Issue of No Objection Certificate and Control) Rules, 2022. It is only provisional rule, which these schools have used to teach Kannada as a third language.

V.P. Niranjanaradhya, development educationist, said negligence to teach Kannada as first or second language in private schools of the central curriculum despite the government order is “inexcusable.”

“They misused the NOC rules and are teaching Kannada as a third language, which is a violation of the Act. The irresponsibility of the government and the officials of the education department has led to this. The government should strictly implement the rules of the Kannada Language Learning Act and decisive action should be taken against schools that violate the rules,” he said.