Despite the Supreme Court striking down the State’s language policy in September 2014, the Siddaramaiah government seems all set to harden its position on implementing Kannada as the compulsory medium of instruction for primary education (classes 1 to 5)
Explaining a decision taken at a Cabinet meeting here on Thursday, Principal Secretary in charge of Primary and Secondary Education Sanjeev Kumar told The Hindu that the government would amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, a Central Act, which comes under the Concurrent List.
While Section 29 (f) of the Act reads, “medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be the mother tongue”, the State’s amendment would seek to remove “as far as practicable” from the Act, thus making the mother tongue, which, in Karnataka is construed as Kannada, compulsory, added Mr. Kumar. Such an amendment would also require the President’s assent, added legal experts. Speaking to reporters, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said, “Our strategy is to make a law on the medium of instruction to impress upon the Supreme Court during the hearing on the curative and contempt of court petitions.”
While the State has filed a curative petition in the Supreme Court challenging the 2014 order, private schools have filed contempt petitions against the State.
