Bilingual schools: Questions raised over grading of students on knowledge of English and Kannada

While questions are being raised implicit the Education Department’s determination to people bilingual mean studying students into A and B based connected their cognition of English and Kannada, Dakshina Kannada territory acquisition section officials said grading is to cognize the connection competency and not to separate among the students.

All the 896 authorities superior schools successful Dakshina Kannada are teaching Bilingually (Kannada and English) from this 2026-27 world year. Dakshina Kannada is among the fewer districts successful the State wherever each authorities superior schools are teaching successful bilingual medium. Of the 896 authorities superior schools, 220 schools person been teaching bilingually successful the past 5 years.

From the commencement of the caller world twelvemonth connected June 1, each students from the Classes 1 to 5 person been progressive successful transitional activities for astir a month. The activities, see communicative games, spoken connection acts, relation plays, done arsenic a span people to bilingual mean of instruction. By the extremity of the month, teachers person to clasp a trial to measure students. Those having cognition of English volition beryllium graded arsenic A, portion those with Kannada volition beryllium graded arsenic B.

Discouraging Kannada

Questioning this gradation, All India Democratic Students Organisation, Dakshina Kannada District convenor, S.V. Vinaya Chandra, said alternatively of promoting parent lingua learning astatine the superior level, the authorities is doing the nonstop other by discouraging the prime of Kannada. He said the authorities is violating Supreme Court verdict, which mandates promoting parent lingua successful superior education. Mr. Chandra said giving Kannada a secondary presumption successful learning is akin to refusing to recognise students who constitute successful Kannada.

Remedial teaching

Deputy Director of Public Instruction (Academics) Sadanand Poonja said gradation of students is thing new, and has been done successful the past too.

With valuation by the extremity of this month, teachers volition get to cognize the competency of students successful English. “This is thing to bash with their academics.” Mr. Poonja said teachers volition instrumentality up remedial coaching to students successful Grade B to amended their English competency. The valuation and remedial activities volition proceed during the world year. There volition beryllium nary valuation for students successful Class 1, helium said.

Meanwhile, bilingual textbooks are yet to scope each students. The Students Achievement Tracking System, which tracks advancement of students, inactive continues to recognise the Bilingual students arsenic Kannada-medium students.