Activists launch campaign in Bengaluru against Hindi in Karnataka schools

Bengaluru: A campaign demanding the immediate removal of Hindi exams in Karnataka schools was launched on Friday.

Namma Nadu Namma Alvike, the citizens’ collective behind the campaign, held a bike rally from Banappa Park to Marathahalli, calling for the discontinuation of third-language Hindi exams, starting this academic year.

“Last year, 90,510 SSLC students failed the third-language Hindi exam, significantly affecting their academic futures. Hindi has been imposed in Karnataka under the three-language formula,” said Kannada film lyricist Kaviraj at the rally’s launch.

S Shyam Prasad, one of the rally organisers, said states such as Tamil Nadu and Hindi-speaking regions do not follow the three-language policy.

“Only in Karnataka are students required to learn an additional language, which hampers their academic performance. What began as an optional language in the 1960s has turned into a burden for Kannada students in the form of compulsory Hindi exams. What is acceptable for students in Tamil Nadu and Hindi-speaking states should apply to Karnataka students as well,” he added. The organisers plan to continue the campaign till the government adoptstwo-language formula.

“Our ultimate goal is a two-language system of Kannada/mother tongue and English in schools. Our immediate goal is to remove third-language Hindi exams from the Karnataka state syllabus,” said Shivanand Gundanavar, another rally organiser.