Primary education should be in Kannada: writer

‘A constitutional amendment is needed for this purpose’

The 13th district Kannada Sahitya Sammelan got off to a colourful start at Pandavapura on Saturday.

Meanwhile, film director and writer Nagatihalli Chandrashekar, who presided over the sammelan, said in his address that a constitutional amendment was required to ensure that primary education is provided in the mother tongue of respective States.

Mr. Chandrashekar said that people from all sectors and across the country should insist that primary education is provided in mother tongue.

Mr. Chandrashekar also urged the State government to resolve the issues pertaining to Kannada-speaking people living in the border areas of Karnataka. Problems being faced by Kannada publishers should be resolved and efforts should be made to develop a software in Kannada. It was essential for the people in rural areas to develop and encourage Kannada medium schools.

Earlier, litterateur Narahalli Balasubrahmanya inaugurated the literary meet.

Writers alone could not develop or strengthen a language.

A collective effort of writers, artistes, political leaders, elected representatives and people from all sections of society was essential, he said.

K.S. Puttannaiah, Melkote MLA, urged the State government to improve the quality of education in government-run Kannada medium schools and reserve at least 25 per cent of government jobs to candidates who had completed their qualifying examination in Kannada medium.