No Plans to foist any language, No segment to be excluded from Opportunities for Higher Education: Ashwathnarayan

NT Correspondent 

Bengaluru, Oct. 11

Karnataka plans to achieve 100 per cent enrolment from kindergarten to primary classes by 2030 and ensure 100 per cent literacy and numeracy by Grade 3. This was disclosed by Higher Education Minister Dr. Ashwathnarayana on Tuesday at a consultation organised by the Karnataka State Higher Education Council on National Educational Policy (NEP).  The Minister said the State would strive to enhance the General Enrolment Ratio (GER) to 50 per cent in the higher education which currently stands at 30 per cent. 

The Minister addressing a group of select representatives of Muslim community allayed the apprehension that any particular language would be imposed on people. He said Kannada would be mandatory in the first two years of undergraduate classes along with some other language (including English or any foreign language) only for those who had studied Kannada language at the school level and in the Pre-University classes. Foreign students would be required to learn 'Functional Kannada' in the first semester of the UG courses in order to be able to gel with the state's ambience comfortably. He said the State had nothing to gain by leaving any segment backward and said all policies of the State were inclusive in nature and no laxity would be shown towards standards of education in schools that teach through minority language mediums.      

The Minister said the State has set up four Higher Education Academies in order to impart quality training to the college teachers. These will prioritise the training of teachers from Government College and will then take up training of Government-aided college and private colleges. "All emerging technologies would be adopted and imparted to all students enrolling for higher education in the State and they will be provided with necessary gadgets," the Minister assured. 

The Minister indicated that the Education Department was open to adoption of all good  practices. It had integrated modules on mathematics developed by Khan Academy of the United States.

The Minister said the NEP would be implemented at the UG level from the 2021-22 academic session although the admissions have been delayed due to pandemic-induced lockdown and postponement of  exams. He pointed out that under the NEP, the students would have the option to freely enter and exit the UG courses for one, two, three or four years. Those exiting after one year would get a certificate; the ones completing two years, would take a diploma; those accomplishing three years would get a degree while Honours would be conferred on those staying on till the conclusion of fourth year. He said this had been designed in order to facilitate integration with universities in developed countries as umpteen students from India were headed to them to enrol for post-graduate courses. 

At the start of the consultation, some representatives expressed apprehension that the education would be patterned after values emanating from the ancient civilisation. Mr. Sanaullah, retired IAS officer, pointed out that India's was a composite culture and Muslims had contributed richly to art, architecture, music, literature and medicine during the medieval age and the British had imparted modernity to the entire law, administration and revenue system during the last 200 years. 

Mr. Azeezullah Baig, another retired IAS officer, said while going through the NEP document, one cannot miss the perception that English would get overwhelming priority over other languages to the detriment of native languages and minority cultures in higher education classes.  

Journalist M. A. Siraj said the value orientation should be given impetus at the UG level. "Inculcation of humaneness should go hand in hand with nurturing of human resources", he opined. He advised that values such as integrity, accountability, hardwork, protection of environment, conservation of heritage, respect for human rights, pluralism, and care for civic infrastructure should be imparted to the younger generation. He said while the NEP allows for opting disparate subjects such as music with zoology or dance with geology, Karnataka has over the years compartmentalised such disciplines by setting up separate universities for Music, Horticulture, Handicraft and Sanskrit. 

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