Non-Resident Indians (NRI) from Karnataka have urged the State government to give accreditation to Kannada classes they run abroad to teach the language to their children.
Adapted curriculum
Speaking at a session titled “Building Kannada in a Global Context” held on the third and final day of the 87th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana in Mandya on Sunday, Rashmi Nagaraj, a resident of Germany, said that NRIs from the State are holding Kannada classes abroad for their children on weekends. “We have adopted in our classes in Germany the Kali-Nali curriculum taught here,” she said.
“In German schools, Hindi is allowed to be taught as a third language along with English and French. If the State government gives accreditation to our Kannada classes, it will be considered official. With this, we can appeal to the authorities concerned there to introduce Kannada too as a third language in schools. This will help preserve and develop Kannada abroad. The State government and the Kannada Development Authority should take appropriate action in this regard,” she appealed.
Speaking on the same topic, United Arab Emirates resident Shashidhar Nagarajappa said that a total of 5,866 NRI children are learning Kannada in various countries and 704 tutors are engaged in teaching Kannada.
Labour issues too
Qatar resident H.K. Madhu underlined labour issues faced by the Kannadiga workforce abroad. “There are allegations that camps where the labourers stay lack basic amenities and that they are not being paid their monthly wages. They can come to their hometowns once in two years, but it is difficult to pay the airfare,” he said, appealing to the State and the Union governments to solve their problems.
Published – December 22, 2024 08:26 pm IST