Published Apr 11, 2026 | 10:58 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 11, 2026 | 10:58 AM
Third language in Karnataka schools.
Synopsis: Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has sought a review of the state government’s decision to award only grades, not marks, for the third language in the SSLC exam. The move, seen as a step towards a two-language policy, has been criticised as “anti-Hindi”, primarily by the BJP, while pro-Kannada groups have opposed the Governor’s rare intervention. Experts, meanwhile, are divided. Some backed the decision, saying it would reduce student burden, while others question the timing of the decision, coming just days before the exams.
Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has called for a comprehensive examination of concerns over the state government’s recent decision to award only grades, not marks, for the third language in the SSLC examination.
The move to grade the third-language paper and exclude it from the total marks is now seen as a first step towards a two-language policy.
Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa announced the decision last week and said it would largely affect students learning Hindi, as 96 percent of schools in the state teach Hindi as the third language.
Of 1.64 lakh students who failed the third language in 2025, 89 percent were learning Hindi, data from the Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board shows.
Options for the third language include Hindi, Kannada, Tulu, Arabic, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu. But the opposition BJP led criticism of the decision and called it an “anti-Hindi” move.
In a rare intervention, Secretary to the Governor R Prabhu Shankar forwarded a representation from the Association for Preservation of Local Languages, Bengaluru, in a communication to Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh.
The association raised concerns about the policy’s implications for students, teachers and the education system.
It said a third language is important for promoting linguistic diversity, awareness and intellectual development among students.
It cautioned that a grading-only system may reduce the subject’s academic weight and affect students’ motivation to engage with it.
“The Governor has taken note of the issues in the representation and desired that the matter be examined comprehensively, keeping in view its academic and administrative aspects across the education sector,” the communication said.
The Lok Bhavan’s intervention is rare. Several language disputes have surfaced in the state’s education sector over the past few years, but none have seen this kind of intervention.
Less than a month prior, the South Western Railways abruptly cancelled promotion exams scheduled for 17 March in Karnataka after protests by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedika (KRV) over the tests being conducted only in English and Hindi.
The cancellation left thousands of job-seeking Kannadigas confused. Candidates said the original notification stated a three-language policy – the exam would be conducted in English, Hindi and Kannada.
A later notification only mentioned Hindi and English, which led to protests by KRV.
At the time, a South Western Railway official said the promotion exam was computer-based and Kannada was therefore not included as an option. That raised questions about why regional languages could not be accommodated in a technology-enabled system.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised the Central government’s “crooked” imposition of Hindi in several exams taken by Kannadiga students.
“Due to the central government’s crooked imposition of Hindi, Kannadiga job aspirants have been subjected to unfair treatment from the very beginning in recruitment processes across various central departments,” he said.
Three weeks after the cancellation, SWR is yet to announce a new date, leaving thousands of Kannada-speaking aspirants in limbo.
In 2023, several leaders from South Indian states, including Siddaramaiah, then in the opposition, opposed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) decision to conduct its recruitment examination only in Hindi and English.
Gehlot did not intervene then. Days later, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced that the exam would be conducted in 13 regional languages.
Several pro-Kannada groups protested against the Governor’s intervention, accused him of being an “agent of the Hindi imperialists”, and demanded that the Centre recall him.
“Looking at the Governor functioning as an agent of the Hindi imperialists, we feel that he is unfit to be the Governor of Karnataka. The Government of India should recall him. Karnataka doesn’t need such a Governor,” KRV President T A Narayana Gowda told reporters.
Gowda said many students fail the SSLC exams every year because of Hindi and asked, “Did the Governor obtain statistics and speak in favour of Kannadiga students?”
Education experts have welcomed the state’s decision, saying it would ease the burden on Kannada-speaking students.
“Students need proficiency in only two languages – their mother tongue and another that equips them to engage at an international level,” education expert Dr VP Niranjanaradhya told South First.
He added that this approach would enhance cognitive ability by allowing students to focus more deeply on two languages.
He also questioned why students must study Hindi if they are not going to use it after Class 10.
“The argument that the seriousness associated with learning Hindi as a third language will fade away is a myth. Those who are still interested can study it,” he said.
The Kannada Development Authority (KDA), a statutory body under the Government of Karnataka that promotes, develops and monitors the use of Kannada as the official language, hailed the move as one of its major demands.
“We have been observing that the percentage of people who fail in Hindi is increasing year on year. We have been insisting on a two-language formula and this is one step towards that. A student needs to know only how to speak in Hindi. It will become difficult for them to score marks,” Ashoka Chandaragi, a KDA member, told South First.
But some education experts questioned the timing of the state’s intervention – three days before the third-language exam in the ongoing SSLC cycle. Several students, ministers and school associations said the sudden decision caused confusion.
“Hasty decisions taken without considering the importance of this issue, without any prior consultation, have given rise to frustration and anxiety among millions of students and teachers,” the Associated Management for Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka said in a letter to the Chief Minister.
The association said the decision could also affect Kannada, which is taught as a third language in some schools.
Experts said the decision was announced without legislation, a circular or a notification, and was communicated verbally.
“We saw students completely confused and out of focus on the exam day. The government had every right to take the decision if it had held consultations with all stakeholders,” said D Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the association.
He said Hindi is not the only language offered as a third language, but several others, including Tulu, Arabic, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu.
“If students are restricted to only two languages, English will be chosen by default and so will Kannada. The third language was meant for non-natives to safeguard their mother tongue. This decision will directly hamper that,” Kumar told South First.
He said the third language is not merely a subject to pass, but a scoring subject. “Who will study (the third language) without some form of grading?” he asked.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
