Latest news with #PurushottamBilimale
Deccan Herald
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
MES protest over Kannada implementation fizzles out
Belagavi: Aprotest organised by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) on Monday, opposing the implementation of Kannada in government affairs, witnessed a poor turnout, with only a handful of activists and office-bearers gathering at the deputy commissioner's office earlier claims of a large-scale demonstration and widespread mobilisation in Belagavi and Khanapur taluks, the protest failed to draw the expected crowds. MES had planned a rally from Sambhaji Circle to the deputy commissioner's office, but the city police denied permission for the few who did assemble raised slogans demanding the use of Marathi in government documents and signage, in accordance with the provisions of the Linguistic Minorities Act. They also displayed placards demanding the merger of Marathi-speaking areas of Karnataka with Maharashtra, shouting slogans such as 'We will live in Maharashtra or in jail', while also referring to the government as 'nalayak' (incompetent).The MES leaders urged that government documents and signboards in areas with more than 15% Marathi-speaking population, including Belagavi and Khanapur taluks, should be made available in Marathi.'Reinstate Marathi signboards'MES Working President and former MLA Manohar Kinekar alleged that following the visit of Kannada Development Authority Chairman Purushottam Bilimale to the Belagavi City Corporation, all signboards in Marathi had been removed. He demanded their reinstatement and called for the use of Marathi on official vehicles of the mayor and deputy mayor, as well as on all government communication. He warned that MES would intensify its protest if these demands were not met within a City Corporation corporator Ravi Salunke said the Karnataka-Maharashtra boundary dispute is still pending in the Supreme Court, and that the implementation of Kannada in disputed regions should be halted until the matter is resolved.A memorandum listing MES's demands was submitted to Deputy Commissioner Mohammad leaders Malojirao Ashtekar, former MLA Digambar Patil, R M Chougule, Vikas Kalghatgi, Ranjit Chavan Patil, Amar Yellurkar, Prakash Margale, Shubham Shelke, Ramakant Konduskar and others were present.
Time of India
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
7k govt primary schools may lose land due to poor records; dept launches drive
Hubballi: While 7,000 govt primary schools in state have fewer than 10 students and face the threat of closure, as many as 17,356 were at risk of losing land in Jan. The total number of govt primary schools in the state is 43,564. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Now, the department of school education (DSE) has launched a special three-month drive to officially register land in the names of govt schools. Prof Purushottam Bilimale, chairman of Kannada Development Authority, Bengaluru, told TOI he was informed about this issue during his visits to Bidar and Yadgir six months ago. "We were surprised to learn about an incident in Devanahalli, where a govt primary school was demolished overnight. We started addressing this issue in district review meetings and instructing all deputy commissioners. In turn, DCs started insisting DDPIs prioritise it. Now it is a good move that DSE has launched a special drive," he welcomed. KV Trilok Chandra, commissioner of DSE, stated that the number of such primary schools with poor land records was over 20,000 last year. "It stood at 17,356 six months ago. As our officials are working in this regard, it has now reduced to about 13,000. We have launched a special drive to get the land records of the remaining 7,000 schools registered in the next three months," he stated. He further said, "Many schools were built on donated plots, not registered under their names. There is a possibility of facing suits in courts. To address this, we have instructed DDPIs and BEOs to ensure all govt schools in their jurisdiction are equipped with land records. If there are any encroachments, we have insisted they coordinate with the district administration, revenue department, and other necessary departments. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Once the land records are registered, they will be uploaded on the department's SATS software." Sources in DSE said that the drive was launched following the instruction of V Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary to the govt, department of school education and literacy. Chandrashekhar Nuggali, president of the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association, Bengaluru, noted that primary schools are threatened by land mafia, especially in urban and semi-urban areas, where land prices have skyrocketed. "Misusing the situation, successors of land donors started reclaiming their land rights, and cases are piling up in courts. Now the department's move is expected to save schools and students at large," he commented.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
SEP Commission decides to propose two-language policy in Karnataka
Amidst heated debates over whether Karnataka should also ditch the three-language policy in education and opt for a two-language one, like what Maharashtra did recently and Tamil Nadu has been doing for decades, the State Education Policy (SEP) Commission has in its report recommended a two-language policy, multiple sources confirmed to The Hindu. The commission is expected to submit its report to the State government by the end of July. It may be recalled that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had also recently expressed support for a two-language policy. The Karnataka Development Authority (KDA) had also demanded it. The commission has reportedly comprehensively discussed the pressure and effects on children owing to the three-language policy, the number of students failing in the third language — Hindi — in the SSLC exam and the fact that the third language or regional languages are not considered for board examinations in central board schools, before finalising the two-language policy recommendation. Purushottam Bilimale, chairman, Kannada Development Authority (KDA), has said that the State government should also show commitment like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra governments on the implementation of the two-language policy. He said it was a tricky issue for any government headed by a national party, as all national parties have been champions of Hindi. 'But we hope the State government demonstrates its commitment,' he said. He further said that since the language policy played an important role in the education system, the authority would wait for the SEP Commission's report and then take an appropriate decision on the two-language policy and make its recommendations to the government. Private schools' stand Private school organisations such as the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) have opposed the two-language policy in the State education system. 'The government should not abandon the three-language policy for any reason. There should be an opportunity to learn a third language in schools. But there should not be an imposition of Hindi,' said Shashikumar D., general secretary, KAMS. 'If the three-language policy is abandoned and a two-language policy is implemented in the State, hundreds of schools in Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and other mediums will be closed. Children will be deprived of the right to learn their mother tongue,' he said, adding that learning multiple languages would improve the cognitive ability of children.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
KDA urges State govt. to fill all 55,000 vacancies in schools
The Karnataka Development Authority (KDA) has urged the State government to fill all 55,000 vacancies of teachers in government primary and high schools as soon as possible, KDA chairman Purushottam Bilimale said in Belagavi on Friday. He was speaking at a meeting of officials at Rani Channamma University. 'There are many vacancies in the State and these will soon increase owing to retirement of teachers. Teaching in schools is already affected and the situation will worsen if there is no immediate recruitment,' he said. Prof. Bilimale urged university teachers to ensure that the teaching-learning process was of high standards. 'Kannada is not just a means of communication, but also a medium of our rich culture. Universities bear the real responsibility of keeping our heritage alive'. He said KDA would encourage research in Kannada studies. He asked them to promote research and publication in science subjects in Kannada medium. 'We are trying to create a lot of reading material for schoolchildren in various disciplines. University faculty members should help us by contributing to the effort,' he said. Santosh Hanagal, secretary, said the authority was constantly working for the promotion and development of Kannada at the academic level. 'We aim to instil the true Kannada spirit in the hearts of the students,' he said. Vice-Chancellor C.M. Thyagaraja said the RCU will work with KDA to promote learning and higher studies in Kannada.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Two language policy is our stand, says KDA chairman
'Karnataka Development Authority's stand is that the State should follow the policy of teaching two languages to children in primary school. We are in the process of recommending this to the State government,' KDA chairman Purushottam Bilimale said in Belagavi on Thursday. Addressing officers of various departments in the Deputy Commissioner's office, Prof. Bilimale said that the authority has taken the ideological stand of supporting the two-language policy. 'This is based on the idea that Kannada will be the language of instruction and English and Kannada will be taught from the first standard. Other languages can be taught when children reach higher classes,' he said. He said that the objective of institutions like KDA is to see that administration is in the language of the people. He said that of all Indian languages, the growth of Hindi has been the fastest across the country. Between 1971 and 2011, Hindi has recorded a growth rate of 66%. 'The other major languages like Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam have shown growth of around 12%-13%. The slowest growth has been of Kannada. It has grown only by 3.73%. If the same trend continues, then Kannada will remain only a spoken language in a few decades. It is not just a matter of figures and numbers, but it is evident in cities like Bengaluru,' he said. 'In Karnataka that has around 6.4 crore people, 25% cannot speak Kannada. We have nothing against people who speak different languages. But we expect them to learn Kannada as long as they live here. However, if other linguistic communities are not speaking Kannada, I do not hold them responsible,' he said. 'Speakers of other languages don't speak Kannada only because we have failed to teach them. KDA has taken up this responsibility. We have set up 100 Kannada training centres across the State. We are starting them in border districts like Belagavi,' he said. 'Let me clarify that we are supporters of Kannada, but not language chauvinists. We love our language, but do not hate other tongues. We are naturally concerned about the condition of Kannada and want it to be preserved for the next generations. I come from the coastal districts and have worked in Delhi for several years. I can speak several languages. I strongly believe that being bilingual is not a crime. Preserving one's mother tongue is not just the responsibility of Kannadigas. It is the sacred duty of all Indian language communities,' he said. 'Belagavi is a border district and the challenges in protecting the language here are different. I am not unaware of such issues. I accept these issues but will take steps to promote Kannada. However, we need to find creative solutions to these issues. We need to introspect on all earlier attempts and see why have we succeeded or failed,' he said. 'We should not be too bothered about historical events like linguistic reorganisation of States. The government and civil society organisations should work together in protecting and promoting Kannada,' he said. He expressed concern over the fall in the standard of education. 'At one time, Karnataka used to be known for high standard of education. But we are now witnessing a rapid fall in the standard of education. A national level survey has revealed that half the primary school students cannot recite simple tables. I think the solution is commitment from the side of teachers and administrators to provide quality education to students,' he said. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan, Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabrao, Superintendent of Police Bheemashakar S. Guled, KDA secretary Santosh Hangal and others were present.
