Class 10 third language row: BJP leaders question last-minute shift, pro-Kannada organisations call it ‘master stroke’

Stating that the decision doesn’t have any educational perspective whatsoever, Suresh Kumar said that it was entirely politically motivated and a prime example of unstable governance. “Destabilising the education system in this manner not only breeds distrust and anxiety among students but also damages the very academic standards of the state,” he said.

BJP state president B Y Vijayendra Yediyurappa said that basic knowledge of Hindi was essential as Kannadigas travel to various states across the country in search of employment. Karnataka has for several decades followed a three-language policy in education, serving as a model for the rest of the country, he said. “It is therefore shocking that the state government has abruptly decided to drop Hindi, without any prior discussion, without consulting education experts, and without considering the position of opposition parties. More so, this sudden stance taken in the middle of ongoing SSLC examinations has caused considerable confusion among students,” he remarked.

The three-language formula followed in Karnataka for many years has treated Kannada as an identity, English as a language of communication, and Hindi from a national perspective. Even so, if Hindi is to be dropped, there is a need for a wide-ranging public debate involving language experts, education experts, and literary figures from across all languages, he said. The government’s decision to play with the future of children — merely for political opposition and out of animosity towards the central government — is both senseless and deeply shocking, he said.

D Shashi Kumar, general secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, in a letter written to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, said that the last-minute decision taken by the government has created enormous confusion and disappointment in the state’s education sector.

“The third language is not merely a subject; it is an important instrument that fosters multilingual ability, intellectual development, and a sense of national integration among students. However, without considering the significance of this subject and without any prior consultation, taking such hasty decisions has caused distress, anxiety, and dissatisfaction among lakhs of students and teachers,” he said in the letter.

He also said that children from other states who are turning to other boards may heighten the risk that Kannada-medium and state curriculum schools — already in distress — reach the point of closure.

He also slammed the government for its unilateral decisions without consulting any stakeholders and with the sole intention of pleasing certain groups, which is harmful to the education system and amounts to a suicidal course of action.

T A Narayana Gowda, head of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a pro-Kannada organisation, welcomed the decision and said that it was a victory for their 27 years of efforts.

“The three-language formula was itself a cunningly devised scheme to impose Hindi gradually. Since independence, it has been carried out openly and without restraint,” he said.

Gowda said that many children were struggling to complete their SSLC solely because they failed in Hindi. “The state government’s current move has effectively reduced the burden on students. The state government must not, under any circumstances, take a step backward. It must not yield to any pressure or demand. Whoever speaks against this decision of the government, the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike will consider them traitors to Kannada and to the state.”

Kannada Development Authority chairman Purushottham Bilimale welcomed the decision, stating that it would help the state’s education become more Kannada-friendly. “The decision complements the two-language policy advocated in the state education policy and will reduce language pressure on the students,” he added.