Several Tibetan schools located in Karnataka are seeking exemption from teaching Kannada as the first or second language, which is mandatory for all schools in the State.
As per the Kannada Language Learning Act, all schools have to teach Kannada in a phase-wise manner. This came into effect from the 2017-2018 academic year. Currently, there are over 12 Tibetan schools in Karnataka, mostly located near Madikeri and are affiliated to Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE).
Meeting with Minister ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Education Minister of Tibet Pema Yangchen met Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S. Suresh Kumar earlier this month and requested exemption from the Act. The department now is mulling over the possibility of giving them the exemption.
According to officials of the department who were present at the meeting, Mr. Kumar assured them of some relief and they are looking at various provisions of the Act. “At the meeting, representatives from Tibetan schools in Karnataka and the Education Minister of Tibet pointed out that that it would be difficult for them to implement the Act, because they have to teach Tibetan as the first language,” an official said.
“The schools are currently teaching Tibetan as first language, while English is second language. Teaching Kannada will be difficult for them as they need to teach students Tibetan and English, in case they have to return to Tibet in future or for higher studies,” an official said.
ADVERTISEMENT
From class six
An official in the department said that the Tibetan schools have, however, informed the Minister that they are not averse to teaching Kannada from class six. A representative of the Tibetan schools said they hoped that the government would consider this as a special case and exempt them. “Even for international schools in the State, we have made Kannada mandatory. It is a decision that needs to be taken by the government and we will follow their order,” said a senior official of the department.