Date:18/01/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/18/stories/2007011813040400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Penalise, but don't close schools violating policy'

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Parents Association and Unaided School Teachers' Association have urged the State Government to drop the proposed derecognition of 2,711 schools for their failure to use Kannada as medium of instruction.

Presidents of associations Mullahalli Suri and R.S. Shilpa told reporters here on Wednesday that the decision would hit 10 lakh children and thousands of teachers adversely. They demanded that schools should be allowed to continue English as medium of instruction in the larger interest of children, parents and teachers.

The Government might levy a fine and promulgate an ordinance to "regularise" the violation of the language policy.

Mr. Suri said the intention of Minister for Primary and Secondary Education B.S. Horatti — who had suddenly woken up to the reality that the language policy was being violated — was questionable. "Is he expecting some inducement?" he asked pointing out that the language policy was being violated for two decades. He said the Government was aware of the violation of language policy all these years.

He contended that the Government could not jeopardise the fate of lakhs of children all of a sudden now having been a mute witness to violation all these years.