Former Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University’s School of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies, Purushothama Bilimale, here on Sunday, January 5, expressed the need to amend Article 343 of the Constitution to give primacy to Kannada and 20 other regional languages in the 8th schedule and save them from getting extinct.
Speaking at a workshop on “Whether National Education Policy can be beneficial”, Mr. Bilimale said of 22 languages in the 8th schedule of the Constitution, only Hindi enjoys protection under Article 343 of the Constitution as it has been recognised as an official language of the Union. There is Constitutional backing for actions done for progressive use of Hindi. The other 21 languages in the 8th schedule, which includes Kannada, Telugu, does not enjoy the same protection.
“There is a need to fight for amendment to Article 343 to provide primacy for all the 22 languages in the 8th schedule,” he said and added, “Unless we receive Constitutional support, these languages will get extinct.”
Though National Education Policy (NEP) speaks of educating the child in his/her mother tongue, the policy is silent about effective implementation of this objective. Citing the recent ruling of the Karnataka High Court against making Kannada as a medium of instruction, Mr. Bilimale said, “When there is problem in making Kannada as a medium of instruction, how can there be assurances of having education in mother tongue,” he said.
Mr. Bilimale said there are 19,000 mother tongues spoken in the country. “We have to treat every mother tongue as independent language,” he said. Absence of a powerful language policy is the cause for skewed treatment for regional languages in the country, he said.
Development educationalist V.P. Niranjanaradhya said the NEP has been framed by keeping aside the basic tenets of the Constitution of creating a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic nation. As it does not conform to basic tenets of Constitution, the NEP gives less hope of creating a strong nation, he said.
Educationalist Sukumara Gowda, physician and activist Srinivas Kakkilaya, and Editor of Hosatu Kannada monthly Siddanagowda Patil also spoke.
The workshop was organised jointly by All India Youth Federation, Samadarshi Vedike and Karnataka Theological Research Institute.
Published - February 05, 2023 08:18 pm IST
