CBSE/ICSE schools told to teach Kannada from Class 1

CBSE/ICSE schools told to teach Kannada from Class 1
Monday August 4 2008 09:31 IST

BANGALORE: Adding a new twist to the language row, the Karnataka (Recognised) Unaided Schools Managements' Association (KUSMA) has asked all schools, including CBSE/ICSE schools in the state, to make Kannada as a compulsory subject from Class 1 to 10.

In its fellowship meeting on Sunday, the association appealed to all member institutions and CBSE/ICSE schools to teach Kannada as a subject “as it the language of our culture and has been upheld by the High Court and the Supreme Court.” KUSMA has over 1,800 member schools.

The meeting, which was attended by over 350 schools, ratified the KUSMA’s decision to file a caveat in the Supreme Court to counter the special leave petition to be filed by the State Government against the Karnataka High Court verdict on the 1994 Government Order.

The association welcomed the Karnataka High Court verdict saying: “The judgment has upheld the constitutional right of the parents to choose the medium of instruction for their wards.” KUSMA, which first questioned the 1994 language policy on behalf of the English medium schools, has spent Rs 17 lakh to fight the case in the Karnataka High Court. All member schools have now been asked to contribute Rs 5,000 to meet the legal expenses.