Amidst heated debates over whether Karnataka should also ditch the three-language policy in education and opt for a two-language one, like what Maharashtra did recently and Tamil Nadu has been doing for decades, the State Education Policy (SEP) Commission has in its report recommended a two-language policy, multiple sources confirmed to The Hindu. The commission is expected to submit its report to the State government by the end of July.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also recently expressed support for a two-language policy. The Karnataka Development Authority (KDA) had also demanded it.

The commission has reportedly comprehensively discussed the pressure and effects on children owing to the three-language policy, the number of students failing in the third language — Hindi — in the SSLC exam and the fact that the third language or regional languages are not considered for board examinations in central board schools, before finalising the two-language policy recommendation.

Purushottam Bilimale, chairman, Kannada Development Authority (KDA), has said that the State government should also show commitment like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governments on the implementation of the two-language policy.

He said it was a tricky issue for any government headed by a national party, as all national parties have been champions of Hindi. “But we hope the State government demonstrates its commitment,” he said. 

He further said that since the language policy played an important role in the education system, the authority would wait for the SEP Commission’s report and then take an appropriate decision on the two-language policy and make its recommendations to the government. 

Private schools’ stand

Private school organisations such as the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) have opposed the two-language policy in the State education system.

“The government should not abandon the three-language policy for any reason. There should be an opportunity to learn a third language in schools. But there should not be an imposition of Hindi,” said Shashikumar D., general secretary, KAMS. 

“If the three-language policy is abandoned and a two-language policy is implemented in the State, hundreds of schools in Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and other mediums will be closed. Children will be deprived of the right to learn their mother tongue,” he said, adding that learning multiple languages would improve the cognitive ability of children.