Mandatory Learning of Kannada in the CBSE/ICSE Schools of Karnataka Challenged in the High Court

Aug. 30, 2023, 3:43 p.m.

As an act of beholding the heritage, Kannada language learning has been made compulsory in CBSE/ICSE schools of Karnataka. A recent report points out that this act has been challenged in the High Court by around twenty parents of children studying in such schools.

The Karnataka government had earlier passed the following acts that ensure mandatory learning of the language in schools the Kannada Language Learning Act 2015, The Kannada Language Learning Rules 2017, and the Karnataka Educational Institutions 2022. As a result learning Kannada as a first, second, or third language is mandatory for students.

Now a petition has been filed against these enactments, especially in the CBSE and ICSE Schools. The petition states that these are going to affect the basic right of choice in learning languages for children and would restrict or hinder their employment opportunities in the future. The main highlight is that all the parents who have filed the petition are based in Bangalore and the respondents are the State of Karnataka, the Union of India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). This was heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice MGS Kamal, who ordered issuing the notices.