<p>Bengaluru: Close on the heels of Maharashtra putting its three-language policy for primary schools on hold, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said his government favoured a two-language formula for school education. "We are for the two-language policy. My government is committed to it," the chief minister told reporters in Mysuru.</p>.<p>The BJP-led Maharashtra government had scrapped two government resolutions to introduce Hindi as the third language for students from Class 1 to 5.</p>.Hindi row: Panel to study issue; decision will be as per interest of students, asserts Fadnavis.<p>In Karnataka's state board schools, children learn two languages till Class 5 while Hindi is introduced as a third language from Class 6. In Class 8, they are given an option to choose from Kannada, English and Sanskrit as their first language. If students opt Sanskrit as their first language, then Kannada will be their third language.</p>.<p>The National Education Policy (NEP) mandates a three-language formula. Karnataka has, however, rejected it and is framing a state policy.</p>.<p>The state Congress has come in favour of doing away with Hindi, arguing that students can learn other regional languages.</p>.<p>"South India’s linguistic diversity is a vibrant tapestry, weaving together languages like Kannada, Kodava, Tulu, Konkani, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and many others. However, mandating Hindi as a third language in schools, especially in non-Hindi-speaking states like Karnataka, creates discord," the state Congress posted on social media platform X. </p>.<p>Meanwhile, some experts have backed scrapping of the three-language formula, saying it has become a "burden" on students.</p>.'Bangla Pokkho' rally to protest govt order notifying Hindi, Urdu as language in WBCS exam.<p>"The two-language policy refers to a formula where the mother tongue or state language and English are used in the education process. This reduces the unnecessary burden on children to learn more languages during their formative period, which can affect their cognitive development," said development educationist VP Niranjanaradhya.</p>.<p>"The two-language formula enables students to communicate effectively in their mother tongue and English. Proficiency in the mother tongue helps preserve cultural heritage. The formula can be an effective way to promote linguistic diversity and global communication skills. Its implementation requires adequate resources, including trained teachers and materials," he added.</p>.<p>According to experts, the government has a way to scrap the existing three-language formula; it just has to take a decision and pass an executive order through the School Education and Literacy department.</p>.<p>"There is no need for a Cabinet or legislative discussion for this. Just an executive order is enough, but it can be implemented only from 2026 as the classes for the current year have already started," said a retired bureaucrat who served as a secretary of the department of School Education.</p>.<p>Officials in the department, however, said there was no discussion on it currently. "There is no discussion at the department level," they said.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unit in Karnataka has petitioned Siddaramaiah to consider withdrawing the three-language formula by placing the matter in the upcoming legislature session. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Close on the heels of Maharashtra putting its three-language policy for primary schools on hold, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said his government favoured a two-language formula for school education. "We are for the two-language policy. My government is committed to it," the chief minister told reporters in Mysuru.</p>.<p>The BJP-led Maharashtra government had scrapped two government resolutions to introduce Hindi as the third language for students from Class 1 to 5.</p>.Hindi row: Panel to study issue; decision will be as per interest of students, asserts Fadnavis.<p>In Karnataka's state board schools, children learn two languages till Class 5 while Hindi is introduced as a third language from Class 6. In Class 8, they are given an option to choose from Kannada, English and Sanskrit as their first language. If students opt Sanskrit as their first language, then Kannada will be their third language.</p>.<p>The National Education Policy (NEP) mandates a three-language formula. Karnataka has, however, rejected it and is framing a state policy.</p>.<p>The state Congress has come in favour of doing away with Hindi, arguing that students can learn other regional languages.</p>.<p>"South India’s linguistic diversity is a vibrant tapestry, weaving together languages like Kannada, Kodava, Tulu, Konkani, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and many others. However, mandating Hindi as a third language in schools, especially in non-Hindi-speaking states like Karnataka, creates discord," the state Congress posted on social media platform X. </p>.<p>Meanwhile, some experts have backed scrapping of the three-language formula, saying it has become a "burden" on students.</p>.'Bangla Pokkho' rally to protest govt order notifying Hindi, Urdu as language in WBCS exam.<p>"The two-language policy refers to a formula where the mother tongue or state language and English are used in the education process. This reduces the unnecessary burden on children to learn more languages during their formative period, which can affect their cognitive development," said development educationist VP Niranjanaradhya.</p>.<p>"The two-language formula enables students to communicate effectively in their mother tongue and English. Proficiency in the mother tongue helps preserve cultural heritage. The formula can be an effective way to promote linguistic diversity and global communication skills. Its implementation requires adequate resources, including trained teachers and materials," he added.</p>.<p>According to experts, the government has a way to scrap the existing three-language formula; it just has to take a decision and pass an executive order through the School Education and Literacy department.</p>.<p>"There is no need for a Cabinet or legislative discussion for this. Just an executive order is enough, but it can be implemented only from 2026 as the classes for the current year have already started," said a retired bureaucrat who served as a secretary of the department of School Education.</p>.<p>Officials in the department, however, said there was no discussion on it currently. "There is no discussion at the department level," they said.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) unit in Karnataka has petitioned Siddaramaiah to consider withdrawing the three-language formula by placing the matter in the upcoming legislature session. </p>
