Kannada learning centres to come up in 12 cities abroad

Six-month long week-end courses will be launched at these centres for children. A primary knowledge of Kannada alphabet will be imparted with the aid of special learning aids.

Linguist Prof Lingadevarau Halemane has agreed to prepare the learning aids, Authority chairman Mukhyamantri Chandru said at a press meet here on Friday.

Chandru said the centres would be established at Los Angeles, New York, Detroit in the US, Manchester, England in the UK, Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar, Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, Auckland in New Zealand and Singapore.

He said children of Kannada origin and living overseas were deprived of opportunities to learn the language and the proposed centres would fill the gap. The Authority is prepared to entrust the project to Kannada and Culture Department if it takes up the task. Overseas Kannada organisations have been requested to make use of the opportunity, he added.