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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
2-language policy or 3?: After Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, Karnataka wades into debate
Taking a leaf out of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu's book, the Congress government in Karnataka has thrown its hat into the ring by resisting the three-language policy proposed in the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020. While the government is viewing the three-language policy as a way to 'impose Hindi' on the state, its move towards a two-language curriculum has also stirred unease. Currently, Karnataka follows a three-language policy in state board-affiliated schools, allowing students to choose either Hindi, Sanskrit or any other Indian language as the third language from Class 6. Meanwhile, the first and second languages remain Kannada and English, respectively. However, in Urdu-, Marathi-, Telugu- and Tamil-medium schools, the first language would be the respective language of the medium of instruction. While the second language choice is mostly English, the third language is either Hindi or Kannada. In a post on X on June 29, the Karnataka Congress had stated that mandating Hindi as a third language in schools would create discord and pose learning difficulties for Kannada, Tulu and Kodava speakers. '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. For speakers of Kannada, Tulu, or Kodava who are fluent in Kannada and English, struggling with written Hindi is a significant challenge—a sentiment shared by many students in linguistically rich regions,' the post read. It also further stated that forcing Hindi can hinder students who excel in other areas. Speaking to reporters in Mysuru earlier this month, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah backed a two-language policy and emphasised that his government was committed to it. The push for a two-language policy has been backed by education expert Niranjanaradhya VP, who is also a key member of the government's State Education Policy (SEP) commission, headed by former UGC chairman Sukhadeo Thorat. 'Introducing a third language causes an additional burden on the child, which will hamper their cognitive skills. Like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka should also stick to two languages in state board schools, with one regional language, Kannada, and the other one being English. Studies have proved that language proficiency is higher among adults than children. Hence, introducing additional languages early on will hinder their cognitive skills,' he noted. Sources in the government said that the school education department has yet to consider a policy shift in language. Moreover, the SEP commission has yet to submit a report on the two-language policy. However, this idea has not been well received among private school management associations, education experts, pro-Kannada groups, and other stakeholders. On July 13, Basavaraj Horatti, Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, wrote to Siddaramaiah, urging him to continue with the three-language formula to foster multilingualism and national integration as envisaged in the Kothari Education Commission (1964-1966). 'The three-language formula equips students with the ability to communicate effectively in different languages, allowing them to pursue higher education and careers across various states. Psychological studies suggest that learning multiple languages enhances cognitive development,' he said. He added, 'It is noteworthy that over 17,909 students in the state scored a perfect 100 in Hindi in the SSLC examinations—more than in any other subject. While some argue that students fail more frequently in Hindi, statistics show that more students pass in Hindi than in many other subjects. In fact, strong performance in Hindi often contributes to improving the overall academic results.' Horatti also raised concerns over the livelihood of 15,000 Hindi teachers and their families in the state if the government decided to drop the three-language formula. On July 12, D Shashikumar, General Secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS), warned of legal action if the state government decides to drop the existing three-language policy in state board-affiliated schools. In a representation to Siddaramaiah, the association appealed not to disturb the existing three-language policy, and instead implement key reforms to the language assessment system in the interest of the students. 'The Karnataka government is indulging in knee-jerk reactions following the developments in Maharashtra. We are, of course, against the imposition of Hindi. However, we believe a third language with the option of learning Hindi or Sanskrit or any other Indian language will enhance the cognitive skills of the students,' Shashikumar said. He added that limiting language choice violates parents' and students' fundamental rights as per various landmark Supreme Court judgments. 'Switching to a two-language policy will hamper the livelihood of 4,000 Urdu-medium schools and their teachers. What will happen to them? What will be the plight of linguistic minorities in the state who speak Tamil, Tulu, Telugu, and Marathi? They will be devoid of linguistic choices,' said Shashikumar. He also appealed to the state government to bring the first language marks in SSLC down to 100 from 125, to ensure parity with other boards. Sanath Prasad is a senior sub-editor and reporter with the Bengaluru bureau of Indian Express. He covers education, transport, infrastructure and trends and issues integral to Bengaluru. He holds more than two years of reporting experience in Karnataka. His major works include the impact of Hijab ban on Muslim girls in Karnataka, tracing the lives of the victims of Kerala cannibalism, exploring the trends in dairy market of Karnataka in the aftermath of Amul-Nandini controversy, and Karnataka State Elections among others. If he is not writing, he keeps himself engaged with badminton, swimming, and loves exploring. ... Read More
New York Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Modi Wants More Indians to Speak Hindi. Some States Are Shouting ‘No.'
In India, the land of more than a thousand tongues, few things inflame passions more than language. Touching the hot button comes with political peril. Just ask the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. High-profile brawls have erupted recently over Mr. Modi's push for the nationwide adoption of Hindi, the language of his power base in northern India and a symbol of his campaign to unify the country around the ideology of Hindu nationalism. Late last month, the government of Maharashtra, a state in western India governed by Mr. Modi's party, was forced to retract a policy requiring that Hindi be taught in elementary schools. Opposition politicians, residents and others had called the policy an affront to Marathi, the region's native language. In Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state with a history of rioting over efforts to make Hindi mandatory, the chief minister has raged for months against an education policy pushed by the Modi government, claiming that it is trying to force students to learn the language. Tamil Nadu sued the central government in May after it said that it would withhold education funds until the state implemented the policy. 'It is common sense that pushing any one language will harm the national integration and unity of a linguistically diverse nation like India,' said Niranjanaradhya V.P., an activist who studies how education affects childhood development. 'It is because of this imposition that there is so much resistance by people.' Central government officials have been careful to emphasize publicly that India's strength lies in its linguistic diversity. When they attack any of India's languages, their target is English, calling it a legacy of colonialism that must be de-emphasized to build a new India. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New Indian Express
02-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Fix dropout rate in high schools: PAFRE tells Karnataka government
BENGALURU: POINTING to the high dropout rate of 22.1% among high school students in Karnataka, which is much higher than the national average of 14.1%, the People's Alliance for Fundamental Right to Education (PAFRE) has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, asking him to focus on solving 'long-term' problems in the education system instead of blaming officials for the poor SSLC results. PAFRE welcomed the CM's concern, expressed during a recent review meeting, over the fall in SSLC pass percentages, especially in backward regions like Kalyana Karnataka. However, the group said that reprimanding education officers alone won't help improve results. Instead, it stressed the need to improve the overall learning system from Class 1 to Class 10, especially in government and aided schools where most children come from poor and disadvantaged families. Chief convenor of the group Professor Niranjanaradhya VP explained that exam results are just the final stage and if children do not receive quality education and support from the beginning, expecting better results is unfair. He added that the current system does not give students the learning environment, teachers, and leadership. 'Karnataka's high school dropout rate must be addressed immediately if the government wants to see long-term improvements,' he said. The RTE group asked the state government to prepare a three-year action plan to bring all schools up to standard.
New Indian Express
04-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Many reasons for SSLC centum spike: Experts
BENGALURU: Easy and predictable question paper, lenient evaluation and shortened syllabus were some of the major reasons why the state had a whopping 22 students scoring 625/625, with a dramatic jump from one last year. Experts, without downplaying the students' efforts, said that getting such a perfect score is very difficult, as the answer scripts would pass through layers of evaluation, specifically language papers, where marks are cut even for spelling mistakes, reducing the possibility of a perfect score. They argued that the whole learning process will be condensed to 'rote memorisation' rather than 'learning', just to appear among the toppers. Talking about the leniency in the questions and checking process this year, Shashi Kumar, the General Secretary of Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) said, 'Most of the papers were comparatively easy this year, except for Kannada, and the evaluation was also lenient. However, we also had a bunch of sincere students who studied hard this time.' Development educationist Professor Niranjanaradhya V P expressed concerns over the objectivity of evaluating theory-based exam papers, particularly those that include long and short-answer questions. He said that while multiple-choice questions (MCQs) have a clear and standardised marking process, the same cannot be said for subjective answers. 'In many cases, students are awarded full marks even for long-answer questions. On the surface, the evaluation appears to be lenient. However, it also heavily depends on the nature and understanding of the evaluator,' he said, highlighting the inconsistencies that may arise due to the lack of uniform assessment practices. An evaluator said, 'Reduction in syllabus has made it easier for the students to concentrate on fewer topics, helping them to score better this time. And along with that we took multiple extra classes and revision classes, helping them be thorough with the subjects'. 'However this time the questions were predictable, there were so many repeated questions from last year, except for Kannada which included questions from Hale Kannada (Old Kannada) which is quite challenging for the students. It's also that this time the correction was comparatively lenient,' she added.
