Bengaluru, March 30 Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, criticised the state government's decision on the third language in SSLC on Monday, alleging that it has adversely affected students and was driven by political motives.
Addressing a press conference, he said the move to effectively remove the weighting of Hindi as a third language has created confusion among students who were already in the middle of their examinations.
He alleged that the decision was not taken in the interest of Kannada but for political reasons, and pointed out that lakhs of students had already been preparing for Hindi.
"This decision was not taken out of love for Kannada. It is purely politics," he said.
Ashoka also invoked historical context, stating that several Congress leaders had supported the promotion of Hindi in the past.
"Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi themselves promoted Hindi," he said.
Referring to the broader implications, he questioned the practicality of the move for students aspiring for national-level services.
"If Kannada-speaking students go to Hindi-speaking states as IAS or IPS officers, what language will they speak there?" he asked.
Addressing reporters on Friday, School Education Minister S Madhu Bangarappa said that from now on, the third language will be included in the grading system in SSLC examinations.
He added that this rule will come into effect from the current year's SSLC examination itself.
The SSLC examination has been held for 625 marks for six subjects so far. 100 marks were allotted for the third language, but now there will be no pass or fail system for the third language. The marks of the third language will not be considered for the final result. Instead, students will be given grades like A, B, C, and D for the third language, the minister explained.
Ashoka, however, termed the decision as 'vote-bank politics' and alleged that it was taken out of opposition to the Union government.
He further claimed that the BJP would implement the National Education Policy in the future, which provides multiple language options for students.