The Karnataka High Court on Monday indicated that schools started with Kannada as the medium of instruction only to illegally switch to English must be ready to pay fines, as outlined by a Government scheme, to continue to be recognised. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B S Patil, hearing an appeal filed by 1,011 schools said the managements must opt for the voluntary scheme or face derecognition. The schools have approached the division bench challenging a single judge’s order to file affidavits reporting compliance to the original medium of instruction of the schools. The schools have also questioned the voluntary scheme for continuing recognition floated by the Karnataka Government. The High Court on Monday said, “Schools have cheated the students once, but you cannot cheat them all the time”. The Bench said managements must follow the order of the single judge and give an undertaking of compliance to the medium of instruction. “You have cheated not only the students but also the Government. All these years the managements have been violating the norms by bribing the officials in the education department,” the court told the school managements. The High Court also said managements of the schools under scrutiny and the Government could consider the option of using Kannada as the medium of instruction in standard one, while students already studying in standard II to IV can continue to be taught in English. The case has been posted for orders to June 15.
