Primary and Secondary Education Minister S. Suresh Kumar warned that strict action will be taken against those schools that have not introduced Kannada as a language.
The Department of Primary and Secondary Education will conduct an inspection to see if schools that had been pulled up in the past have fallen in line.
“The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has already listed schools that are not complying. I have directed the Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPI) of Bengaluru North and South to inspect these schools and submit a report by November 20,” said Mr. Kumar at a press conference on Wednesday.
As per the KDA’s records, 90 schools across the State, of which 44 are in Bengaluru, had not introduced Kannada as either a first or second language. However, according to the Department of Primary and Secondary Education, the number of schools is just five.
As per the Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015, schools affiliated to the Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council For The Indian School Certificate Examinations (ICSE) come under the purview of the law.
“We will even consider cancelling the No Objection Certificate (NOC) that will naturally lead to disaffiliation,” he said.
He also plans to visit schools across the State to make sure whether they were teaching Kannada.
“I will also write to Deputy Commissioners of all the districts to monitor the implementation of the act in Kendriya Vidyalayas,” he said.
A committee, which the Minister heads, has been set up to review the implementation of the Act.
“The committee will meet once in three months to review and monitor the progress and then take necessary steps and actions,” he said.
The Minister also plans to inspect Kannada-medium private schools. “In one district, there are 84 Kannada medium private schools. However, only 14 of them have Kannada as medium of instruction. We will verify all such schools across the State and take action,” he said.
