Karnataka Education Dept to phase out Nali-Kali in 2026-27 academic year

Bengaluru: Starting from 2026-27, the Nali-Kali programme, a flagship initiative focused on activity-based learning, will be phased out of government schools, confirmed the Department of School Education and Literacy.

In its recent order for the procurement of textbooks for the coming academic year, the department has indicated that the programme will be discontinued in 16,762 Urdu- and Kannada-medium schools across the state. This follows close on the heels of the department’s decision to introduce bilingual classes at 25,014 schools across 15 districts for students of classes one to five.

Meanwhile, reactions to the department’s decision have been mixed. While the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association has welcomed the decision to discontinue Nali-Kali, the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) wants the department to reconsider the decision. Urging the Minister for School Education and Literacy to re-evaluate the decision, KDA Chairman Purushotham Bilimale has submitted a report wherein the initiative’s many advantages have been highlighted.

The programme holds promise, but its implementation has left much to be desired, pointed out KDA. The appointment of teachers not trained for Nali-Kali in the place of those who were equipped for the job but retired too has impacted the implementation of the initiative, KDA stated in its report.

At schools where the number of children was high, teachers were unable to spare attention for each child. The KDA’s report also pointed to instances of learning material such as charts not being supplied to schools promptly. “Many teachers do not understand the concept behind Nali-Kali,” said the KDA’s report.

Making learning fun

Nali-Kali evolved at Rishi Valley and was first rolled out at a government school in HD Kote with the support of UNICEF in 1995. Nali-Kali entails interactive and group activities to make learning fun. Materials for Nali-Kali were supplied by not-for-profit organisations associated with the Department of School Education and Literacy. Although then Additional Chief Secretary of the department Ajay Seth tried his best to revive the initiative in 2017 he also held strongly to the view that scribbling on walls was not the same as writing on notebooks. The task force constituted for the implementation of the National Education Policy-2020 had recommended that the implementation of Nali-Kali be re-evaluated besides suggesting separating students of classes one from those in classes two and three.