Bengaluru, Mar 27 (PTI): In a two-pronged move, Karnataka government on Thursday introduced bills to make Kannada language a mandatory subject in classes one to ten in schools affiliated to the state board and also a compulsory medium of instruction from classes one to five.
The Kannada Language Learning Bill, 2015 seeks to make Kannada a mandatory subject in classes one to ten in all schools affiliated to the state board.
In tandem, a bill to amend the Right to Education Act was also introduced by Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Ratnakar.
The bill amended Section 29 (2) of the Right To Education Act to change the provision "medium of instruction shall, as far as practicable, be in mother's tongue" to "Kannada or mother tongue will be medium of instruction in primary schools" from classes to one to five.The amendment would help the government in its arguments before the Supreme Court when the curative petition is taken up.
The Supreme Court had rejected a revision petition filed by the state government seeking review of its ruling which upheld a Karnataka High Court judgement striking down an order issued by the state government in 1994 to impose Kannada or mother tongue as a medium of instruction in primary schools.
The curative petition filed by the government is yet to be heard by the Supreme Court.
The cabinet had on March 19 approved the proposed amendment bill before tabling it in the assembly.
Yet another bill to amend Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) Act, 2007 was also introduced, which seeks to increase the cap on teachers’ transfer from the present five per cent to eight percent.
Amendment bill to increase transfer quota of teachers
Bengaluru, Mar 27 (DHNS): The government has introduced an amendment bill to increase the transfer quota of teachers from the present five per cent to eight per cent for government schools.
On Thursday, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education Kimmane Ratnakar introduced the amendment to the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) 2007, in the Legislative Assembly.
The amendment states that transfers in a unit of seniority shall not exceed five per cent in the case of public interest transfers and three per cent in the case of inter-unit of seniority transfers. “...And, totally it shall not exceed eight per cent of the number of sanctioned posts of teachers in that cadre in that unit of seniority,” states the amendment.
The bill states that if both the spouses were government servants, and the teacher has served for at least three years in existing unit of seniority, may also be transferred to the place, or nearby place of working of his/her spouse through counselling, depending upon the availability of the clear vacancy not more than twice.
On mutual transfers, the bill has introduced an amendment which places a condition that both the teachers must have completed a minimum period of three years of service; must be, otherwise eligible to be transferred to that zone, or must have minimum of three years of service left. The amendment states that mutual transfers shall not be allowed more than once in his or her service and shall not be eligible for protection of seniority.