Now Reading: KDA study flags poor English skills in Karnataka bilingual schools
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KDA study flags poor English skills in Karnataka bilingual schools
A study commissioned by the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has found that students in classes 6 and 7 at government bilingual schools in Karnataka have limited vocabulary, difficulty forming sentences, and weak…
A study commissioned by the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has found that students in classes 6 and 7 at government bilingual schools in Karnataka have limited vocabulary, difficulty forming sentences, and weak comprehension. The study, conducted by Deena Bandhu Trust of Chamarajanagar, assessed 201 students across 20 schools that have offered instruction in English and the mother tongue since class 1. KDA chairman Purushotham Bilimale said the findings were unsurprising and that a similar situation exists in other states.
However, education experts have questioned the study's methodology. Ravi Narayan Chakrakodi, professor at the Regional Institute for English, said the sample size was too small and there was no comparison group of Kannada-medium students to determine whether the observed difficulties stem from the bilingual model or from other factors such as teacher proficiency, pedagogy, or socio-economic conditions. A department of school education and literacy official noted that a focused bilingual programme with teacher training and customised textbooks began only in 2025-26, and that the surveyed schools were part of an earlier cohort from 2019.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The KDA study lands at a politically sensitive moment in Karnataka, where language policy is a perennial flashpoint. The state has roughly 12.7 lakh students in 24,987 bilingual-medium schools, and the real test is whether these students are learning English well enough to compete for jobs and higher education. The sample of 201 students across 20 schools is too narrow to draw sweeping conclusions, but the questions it raises are legitimate. The government's own admission that systematic teacher training and custom textbooks only began in 2025-26 suggests the initial cohort may have been set up to fail. Watch for whether the KDA pushes for a larger, methodologically rigorous study, or whether political pressure sidelines the issue entirely.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
