The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Notification on Kannada in schools upheld

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 09, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Notification on Kannada in schools upheld

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday upheld a notification by the State Government withdrawing Alternative English as a subject of study for students of 8th, 9th and 10th standards in ICSE and CBSE schools under the State syllabus and making it mandatory for them to take up Kannada as the first, second or third language.

The court was dealing with petitions by six students of a private English medium school from Belgaum who had challenged the decision of the Deputy Director of Public Instruction, Belgaum, in not permitting them tom take up Alternative English.

The petitioners said several of their colleagues studying ICSE and CBSE syllabus and opting for the State syllabus had been permitted by the DDPI to take up Alternative English. They urged the court to permit them to take up the subject.

Circular

Opposing the petitions, the Government said it had issued a circular during 1999-2000 removing Alternative English as a subject of study. However, the DDPIs had exempted some students from studying Kannada and permitted them to take up Alternative English.

When this came to the notice of the Commissioner of Public Instruction (CPI), he had directed the DDPIs not to allow any further exemption.

The CPI on May 25, 2006 issued a notification holding that those studying in ICSE and CBSE and opting for the State syllabus in the 8th, 9th and 10th standards should study Kannada as the first, second or third language.

The notification said that students from outside the State are entitled for a grace mark of 15 when they study Kannada as a subject.

Dismissing the petition by the students, Justice Rammohan Reddy relied on the Supreme Court judgment in the Usha Mehta versus the State of Maharashtra case.

The Supreme Court had upheld the notification of the Maharashtra Government in making Marathi compulsory for students from the fifth standard.

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