The Karnataka government’s decision to opt for a bilingual policy of Kannada and English in this year’s class 10 exam, and award marks instead of marks for the third language, seems peculiar. The reasoning is that this would reduce the language pressure on students and promote the Kannada language – students have to get 525 marks in five subjects instead of 625 in six. This reduction of the third language is in line with the State Education Policy, which Karnataka adopted instead of the National Education Policy. Academics have largely welcomed the move considering the low pass percentages. In the 2024-25 boards, out of 1,64,000 students who failed, 1,46,000 did not clear the third language paper.
However, the decision has caused a political brouhaha. Like other southern states, the Karnataka government has resisted the ‘imposition’ of Hindi, with the chief minister declaring that it cannot be ‘implemented’. Though the state parties are turning it into a Hindi vs Kannada issue, the ground reality gives a different hue to the debate. Out of 8.12 lakh students this year, 7.52 lakh chose Hindi as their third language; 32,135 for English, 11,483 for Kannada, 5,544 for Urdu and 5,159 for Sanskrit. Some experts also argue that a preference for two languages can lead to a lack of interest in learning and teaching a third language. We must bear in mind that a third language can not only serve as a link to a wider world, but can also foster better cognitive skills.
