Karnataka: Proposed state education policy (SEP) opposed for not making Kannada mandatory

Mysuru: Mysuru-based Kannada Kriya Samithi has opposed the Karnataka Government’s proposed two-language policy in education, as it does not make learning in Kannada medium compulsory.

General secretary of the Samithi Sa Ra Sudarshan has issued a press release, in this regard. The press note states, “Even though the State Education Policy (SEP) Commission has recommended that Kannada or the child’s mother tongue must be the medium of instruction up to Class 5, it does not continue the legacy of the Karnataka State policy which made learning of Kannada compulsory, following the historical Gokak movement.”

It can be noted that the SEP Commission has recommended a two-language policy in school education and that Kannada or the mother tongue of the child must be the medium of instruction up to Class 5.

The Commission, headed by former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Sukhdeo Thorat, submitted its report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday, after almost two years of its constitution.

It was constituted in October 2023, following the Congress' poll promise to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“If non-Kannadigas, especially those belonging to the minority communities, do not learn Kannada, as they have an option to study in their mother tongue, they will not join the mainstream of the society in Karnataka. As the language of the majority linguistic group should be the administrative language of a state in a democracy, it would be wrong if a section or sections of people do not study the administrative language,” Sudarshan said.

“If compulsory Kannada is dropped, it would amount to disrespecting the Gokak movement, in which even precious lives were lost. So, the government should implement the language policy in education by rectifying the problems in it,” he said.

“If the State government does not follow the compulsory Kannada policy in education, all writers, Kannada activists and connoisseurs will have to take adequate steps to corner the government on the issue,” Sudarshan warned.