Following the BJP-led Mahayuti dispensation in Maharashtra cancelling government resolutions on the three-language policy introducing Hindi as the third language in primary classes, the Karnataka government has reaffirmed its stance on the language policy. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that his government will stick to the two-language policy.
“We are for the two-language policy. My government is committed to it,” Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday speaking to the media in Mysuru.
Siddaramaiah's statement comes amid the raging debate over the language policies in the schools across the country in several states. Karnataka’s standing on the debate clearing the air is in line with its longstanding approach to school education, reaffirming the state’s policy to stick to two languages for the medium of instruction in the primary schools.
In Karnataka, students are required to learn two languages up to Class 5 and Hindi is introduced as the third language from Class 6 onwards in state board schools. From Class 8, the students are allowed to opt for their first language from Kannada, English or Sanskrit. In case Sanskrit is chosen as the first language, Kannada becomes a compulsory third language.
The state has not adopted the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP) and is creating its own language policy. The state Congress has supported the decision to not adopt Hindi mandatorily, saying that there is need for “dynamic and inclusive language policies that honour local identities”. In a post on X on June 29, the party said students should master regional languages like Kannada or Tamil while offering Hindi as an option, not a mandate.
“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 party wrote.
Amid backlash, the BJP-led Maharashtra government withdrew the two government resolutions aiming to introduce Hindi as a mandatory third language for students from Class 1 to 5. The Devendra Fadnavis government rolled back the decision following an aggressive campaign by the Thackeray cousins protesting against “Hindi imposition on the Marathi-manoos.”
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