Plea to K’taka Govt to Introduce Konkani as Medium of Instruction

The academy has also requested the government to include Konkani as a subject for courses like BEd and MEd.

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Karnataka Konkani Sahitya Academy on Saturday, 12 December, urged Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa to introduced Konkani as a medium of instruction in the state. The request was made in the context of the proposed National Education Policy (NEP).

The NEP states that the medium of instruction, at least till class 5, should be in the mother tongue or regional language. Konkani is currently offered only as an optional third language to class 10 students in both Kannada and Devanagari scripts.

In a letter to the CM, the academy noted that there are over 25 lakh Konkani-speaking people spread across 42 communities.

The academy has also requested the Karnataka government to include Konkani as a subject for courses like Bed and MEd. A request for appointing more Konkani educators has also been made by the academy.

Following advice from an expert committee, schools and PU Colleges in Karnataka will remain shut at least till the end of December, Chief Minster BS Yediyurappa said on Monday, 23 November.