MLC Ivan D’Souza calls for inclusion of Konkani in KCET language eligibility
Bengaluru: MLC Ivan D’Souza has urged the Karnataka Education Ministry to include Konkani as an accepted mother tongue for candidates appearing for the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET). The appeal was made during a session of the Karnataka Legislative Council, where D’Souza highlighted the case of a student from Kasaragod who was denied admission due to her mother tongue being Konkani.
D’Souza shared that the student had pursued Kannada as her second language in higher secondary school (PUC) and completed her course with 80 percent marks. Despite clearing the KCET-2024 and qualifying for a BSc in Nursing, her application was rejected during the certificate verification process because her mother tongue was Konkani. The legislator emphasized that the student had also cleared the Kannada language test conducted by the Karnataka Test Authority and possessed a certificate confirming her residency in Kasaragod, a district in Kerala bordering Karnataka.
However, the verification officers disregarded her qualifications and nativity, insisting that only students whose mother tongues were Kannada, Tulu, Kodava, or Beary were eligible for seats in Karnataka's educational institutions.
D’Souza pointed out that many Christian families speak Konkani as their mother tongue, and the Kasaragod district alone has over 40,000 Konkani-speaking residents. He appealed to the Higher Education Minister to amend the KCET eligibility rules to include Konkani in the list of permissible languages for the 2024 entrance test.
This amendment, D’Souza argued, would ensure fair and inclusive opportunities for students from Konkani-speaking communities in border regions like Kasaragod, thereby fostering greater educational equity.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
