BENGALURU: The Association of Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools of Karnataka (KAMS) has objected to Karnataka’s position paper on language education, stating the government has no business dictating the medium of instruction in unaided schools.
The position paper on language education reads: “This position paper recommends that medium of instruction should be compulsorily mother tongue/ home language/ local language/ regional language (Kannada) starting from the foundational level up to grade 5. When there are children in class whose mother tongue is English or children from other states who do not know any of the above languages, English may be used in addition to the above languages for teaching.”
The association pointed to a 2014 Supreme Court judgment that allows parents to choose the medium of instruction for their children. “The government policy to have mother tongue or regional language as medium of instruction at the primary level is valid and legal in case of schools run or aided by the state. But the government policy compelling children studying in other government-recognised schools to have primary education only in the mother tongue or regional language is violative of Article 19(1)(g), 26 and 30(1) of the Constitution of India,” read a letter written by D Shashi Kumar, secretary of KAMS, to the chief minister.
“We have already won a case in the apex court in this regard. The government has no right to dictate the medium of instruction in our schools. It looks like the committee was even unaware of this judgment. None of the private schools representatives was made part of the committee,” he told TOI.
