Teaching of English in Karnataka schools now compulsory

After its controversial decision to close down more than 2,000 English medium schools for violating the language policy, the Karnataka Government has made teaching of English as a compulsory subject from first standard in all Kannada medium schools.

Similiarly, all the English medium schools in the State will have to compulsorily teach Kannada as a subject from first standard. In schools run by linguistic minorities, Kannada will be a compulsory subject from third standard.

These decisions were approved at the cabinet meeting of the JD (S)-BJP coalition Government held in Bangalore.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Karnataka’s Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Basavaraj Horatti said decisions would come into force from the coming academic year, beginning in June 2007.

Horatti also made it clear that the Government would not go back on its decision to de-recognize more than 2,000 primary schools, which had adopted English as a medium of instruction though they had obtained licenses after giving an undertaking that the medium of instruction would be Kannada.

He said the Government had relented to allow the schools to function till the end of the ensuing academic year to prevent inconvenience to the more than 275,000 students studying these schools.