Jnanpith recipient Chandrashekar Kambar batted for nationalisation of primary education and stressed the need to ensure that all forms of knowledge — including science subjects — are available to students in their mother tongue.
Delivering the presidential address at the 84th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana here on Friday, Dr. Kambar expressed alarm over the way Kannada schools were closing down while English-medium schools in the private sector were on the rise. Citing figures that indicate the trend, he said successive governments had failed to stem this.
Making only an oblique reference to the government’s attempt to make English the medium of instruction in 1,000 government schools, the president of the sammelana said, “It is the responsibility of the government in power to protect the language, tradition, and culture of the region.”
Tracing the fascination for English to colonial times, he said imparting education in alien languages such as English had frustrated and blunted the minds of children. Imparting education in English had made only good parrots and killed creativity. He regretted that the colonial mindset has persisted so many years after colonial rule ended. People’s movements, including the Gokak agitation, and legal battles had failed to make Kannada the medium of instruction, he said. Parents are convinced that the future of their children lies in English education, he added.
Imparting education in English has turned out to be a profitable business, said Dr. Kambar and the government had turned a blind eye to this and was showing more interest in setting up language academies, he said.
Dr. Kambar recalled the contribution of two visionary Jnanpith recipients — K. Shivaram Karanth and Kuvempu — in upholding the value of education and the mother tongue, and making science subjects available in Kannada. He added that with science education losing base in Kannada, English had turned out to be an integral part of our education system.
