<p>Bengaluru: Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairman Purshottama Bilimale has expressed concern over reports of private schools in the state imposing fines on students for speaking their mother tongue, Kannada.</p>.<p>Calling the practice anti-educational and a violation of constitutional rights, Bilimale said such actions are punishable offences.</p>.<p>In a letter to Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, the KDA chief cited the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022, which mandates all educational institutions in Karnataka to create an environment that promotes the use and spread of Kannada.</p>.Learn Kannada or face action, KDA chief tells non-local cab drivers .<p>"Restricting or fining a child for speaking their mother tongue is illegal,” Bilimale said. He noted that several educational studies have shown that communication in one’s native language is crucial for a child’s emotional, social and cultural development, besides helping build vocabulary and self-confidence.</p>.<p>The KDA said it had intervened in similar cases earlier, including at Bengaluru’s Sindhi High School.</p>.<p>To prevent a recurrence of such “inhumane practices”, it urged the Education Department to issue an immediate circular to all schools, including English-medium institutions, directing them to stop imposing fines for speaking Kannada and warning of strict legal action against violators.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Kannada Development Authority (KDA) Chairman Purshottama Bilimale has expressed concern over reports of private schools in the state imposing fines on students for speaking their mother tongue, Kannada.</p>.<p>Calling the practice anti-educational and a violation of constitutional rights, Bilimale said such actions are punishable offences.</p>.<p>In a letter to Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, the KDA chief cited the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Act, 2022, which mandates all educational institutions in Karnataka to create an environment that promotes the use and spread of Kannada.</p>.Learn Kannada or face action, KDA chief tells non-local cab drivers .<p>"Restricting or fining a child for speaking their mother tongue is illegal,” Bilimale said. He noted that several educational studies have shown that communication in one’s native language is crucial for a child’s emotional, social and cultural development, besides helping build vocabulary and self-confidence.</p>.<p>The KDA said it had intervened in similar cases earlier, including at Bengaluru’s Sindhi High School.</p>.<p>To prevent a recurrence of such “inhumane practices”, it urged the Education Department to issue an immediate circular to all schools, including English-medium institutions, directing them to stop imposing fines for speaking Kannada and warning of strict legal action against violators.</p>
