Mangaluru: Esteemed writer B Prabhakar Shishila raised serious concerns about the declining state of the Kannada language. He urged the Karnataka government to mandate Kannada as the medium of instruction from Class 1 to Class 10 in all schools. He suggested that English should serve as a bridge language between institutions.
Speaking at the 27th District Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, hosted by the Dakshina Kannada District Kannada Sahitya Parishat at Mangalore University, Shishila highlighted a grave issue—many Kannada-medium schools are suffering from a severe lack of educators. Shockingly, over 7,000 schools are operating with just a single teacher.
He criticized the inadequate budget allocation for education, stating that while the government is expected to allocate 6% of GDP to education, both the state and Centre are investing a mere 2%. He encouraged literature lovers to build personal libraries and lamented that despite Kannada winning eight Jnanpith Awards, most households do not own these acclaimed works.
Shishila urged authors to address social disparities and champion pluralism. He warned that the push to “revise the Constitution” aims to undermine equality and secularism.
Poet BR Lakshman Rao, inaugurating the event, voiced concern over the diminishing freedom of expression, worsened by social media’s misrepresentation. Speaker UT Khader released a commemorative book and promised efforts to secure funding for literary events in rural areas.
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