Govt. withdraws mandatory Kannada language for UG courses

Bengaluru, Jan 24

The state government has withdrawn
mandatory Kannada language for Under Graduate students.
As per the new order, those students who do not wish to take up the local language would not be forced to study until the further orders from the High Court.

The interim order by the High Court has prompted the government to take this decision.

Following the order, the students who have already taken up for the course also get the opportunity to choose language of their choice for studying instead of Kannada. The attendance will be adjusted to the new language.

The circular dated Jan 21 is addressed to all vice-chancellors and registrars of public and private universities. Principals of aided and unaided colleges have also been given directions in this regard.

State government on Aug 7, 2021 made learning of Kannada compulsory for students who take up graduation courses. The government maintained that the order is in line with implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) in the state. The government has asked students who have not learnt Kannada in school to study the functional Kannada for one semester.

The Samskrita Bharathi (Karnataka) Turst, other three organisations and five students have filed petitions challenged the government order. The High Court earlier opined that the state government at this stage shall not insist to make the language compulsory. The court further stated that students who do not wish to take the Kannada language shall not be compelled to pursue the Kannada language till further orders.

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