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Leave language choice to parents

With the state’s appeal regarding the language policy pending in the Supreme Court, parents are worried that the final outcome of the case will affect the legal foundation.

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Parents of children attending private primary English-medium schools are an anxious lot. With the state’s appeal regarding the language policy pending in the Supreme Court, they are worried that the final outcome of the case will affect the legal foundation of their children’s schools.

The state government, meanwhile, has staunchly defended its medium-of-instruction policy: the requirement that in grades 1-5, either the child’s mother tongue or Kannada should serve as the medium of instruction is in consonance with the Constitution of India. The comprehensive language policy of the state was declared in an order of April 29, 1994.

The state government decided in 2008 to make Kannada the compulsory medium of education in primary classes. The state has also argued that it cannot be held to be violating any constitutional provisions by disallowing primary education in English. The High Court, hearing a case filed by some private schools, held that the state could not impose a medium of instruction on private schools. The state has since appealed to the Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear the plea although it has refused to stay the High Court order.

Thus the fate of nearly 3,800 schools in the state hangs in balance. Parents have continued to seek admission in these schools, and many of the schools have expressed a willingness to defy the government. President of the Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements’ Association, GS Sharma says that the Association’s lawyer is preparing a petition that will charge the government with contempt of court for disallowing English as medium of instruction despite the High Court order.

Primary and secondary education minister Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri said, “We have approached the Supreme Court, we are waiting for its judgement. Until we get a judgement, we have no plans of revising the policies. The people have to abide by government policy.  The city consists of a floating population, but even the non-Bangaloreans are bound to learn Kannada. We see no need for flexibility in this decision.”

Parents are naturally worried about their children. Saraswathy Murthy, a housewife, whose child goes to the Marian Primary School, Vijayanagar, said, “I cannot agree with the government in the matter of medium of instruction. I would like my child to get a good education and be fluent in English. I would not want her to have to shift to English medium later, after having completed her primary school in Kannada. Such decisions should be up to parents to make, why must the government interfere?” Murthy holds that if left with no choice in the matter after the judgement of the Supreme Court, she would move her child to an ICSE or CBSE school.

Gayatri Devi, a government employee, too feels that the government need not make such decisions on her behalf. “My daughter Ananya is in class 2. I am not against learning Kannada and Ananya studies it as a language. Why should she be forced to attend classes where all subjects are taught in Kannada? Should not the government allow parents to make these decisions for their children?”
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