‘Protecting’ the Kannada language.
AB Wire
BENGALURU: Karnataka lawmakers are one step closer to enforcing Kannada in schools, as the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday adopted two prominent Bills including the “Kannada Language Learning Bill 2015” and the “Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2015,” which seek to provide primary education (Standard I to V) in Kannada.
However, the latter needs to obtain presidential assent to become legislation since it requires a Constitutional amendment, according to The Hindu.
Both the Bills were unanimously accepted after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah assured the House he would lead a delegation of floor leaders from each parties in the State legislature to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the need to effect a Constitutional amendment for enforcing Kannada as medium of instruction for primary education.
He also pledged to raise the issue at the meeting of the National Development Council to be convened by the Prime Minister, and noted that he had already written to all the chief ministers seeking their co-operation in the matter, reported the Hindu.
Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar told The Hindu implementing Kannada as medium of instruction in primary school as well as subject from I to X Standard would go a long way in protecting the language.
The Supreme Court had previously rejected a revision petition filed by the state government seeking review of its ruling which upheld a Karnataka high court judgment striking down its government order issued in 1994 to impose Kannada or mother tongue as a medium of instruction in primary schools.
“The amendment would help the government in its arguments before the Supreme Court when the curative petition related to its language policy is taken up,” according to The Times of India.