Bengaluru: Karnataka government has withdrawn its decision to make Kannada language compulsory for graduate students.
According to the new order, students who do not want to take the local language will not be forced from the High Court until the next order. This decision has been made following the interim order of the Karnataka High Court.
Following the order, students already enrolled in the course are allowed to choose their preferred language instead of Kannada. Attendance will be adjusted to the new language.
The January 21 Circular was sent to the Vice Chancellors and Registrars of all public and private universities. Principals of both aided and unaided colleges have been notified in this regard.
On August 7, 2021, the Karnataka state government made Kannada learning compulsory for students taking undergraduate courses in the state. The government has said that the mandate is in line with the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). The government has asked students who do not learn Kannada at school to study functional Kannada for a semester.
The Sanskrit Bharati (Karnataka) Trust, three other institutions and five students have filed petitions challenging the government’s order. The High Court had earlier said that the state government would not compel the language to be made compulsory at this stage. The court has told the court that students who do not want to learn Kannada will not be forced to learn Kannada until the next order.
