Call it appeasement of linguistic sentiments or plain anti-logic, but the Congress-led state government amending the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act-2009 (RTE) Central act to compulsorily make Kannada the medium of teaching for students from class I to V and Kannada as a compulsory subject for students from class I to X, is being opposed by the ruling party’s own legislators. They insist on not sending their own kids to Kannada medium schools irrespective of the law.MLAs across party lines have opposed the plan to make Kannada mandatory in schools.Quite a few Congress members of legislative assembly (MLAs) have slammed the state government and lambasted the plan to make Kannada a compulsory medium of instruction and a compulsory subject for the students. They have said they will not send their kids to Kannada medium schools irrespective of the law.Registering their dissent against the ‘unconstitutional law’ that contradicts itself with the Supreme Court’s Constitutional bench’s decision on the same subject, the MLAs said making kids learn in Kannada would only prove to be restrictive for the children in the 21st century era of intense competition at the international level.Dr K Sudhakar, Congress MLA from Chikkaballapur, told Bangalore Mirror on the sidelines of the last day of the Budget session, “Be it the IT, BT or any field of excellence either in Bengaluru or in any other part of the country, it is all in English. Today the Chinese are repenting over their lack of English knowledge. They are inviting more and more English teachers. They want their kids to learn English. Today English is the need of the hour as information on any subject around the world is available in English; not in Kannada. Educated and informed kids will be the future of our country. It is the time to think global and act local. Otherwise how will our kids compete with the others? Because the 21st century is all about an extremely competitive world! I am bluntly saying this: I will not send my kids to a Kannada medium although I speak to them in Kannada every day at home.”Sudhakar said he vouched for promoting Kannada as a language of communication as one has to be passionate about one’s mother-tongue. He said being in Karnataka, irrespective of what one’s mother-tongue is, people must learn Kannada. “But you cannot enforce Kannada as the medium of instruction (in schools). It is good that the government must leave it to the parents of the kids (the apex court directions).”Another Congress MLA, Tanveer Sait from Mysuru, said, “Today, every parent knows that knowledge is inevitable to achieve anything. That being the case, it is the liberty of the parents to choose the medium of instruction and the government has to allow it. There is a saying that ‘home is the first school and mother is the first teacher’. Mother-tongue can be taught to kids at this level. But when it comes to education, government cannot enforce it on parents. It must leave it to the parents to decide on the medium of instruction. Today everything is in English, and training kids in Kannada would only restrict them.”Madhu Bangarappa, JD(S) MLA from Soraba, clarified, “It is not only tricky; it is a sensitive subject. All of us being in Karnataka must respect and honour Kannada. Being passionate about the language, all (irrespective of background) should learn and speak Kannada in Karnataka which otherwise would hurt the sentiments of the people. But at the same time, the government must also uphold the liberty of the parents in deciding about the future of their kids.That cannot be compromised by forcing Kannada as medium of instruction. Instead, the government must make the system proper before bringing legislation like this.”He said even assuming that the kids are taught in Kannada medium “do we have the resources to teach engineering, medical or any other subject at an advanced level in Kannada? The government must think of creating such base first. By imposing it through law they should not bury the children’s future.” Arun Shahapur, BJP member of legislative council (MLC), said, “The government should not enact a law just for the sake of it or to appease some sections. The legislation would not stand in any court of law. I strongly believe that parents must be allowed to choose the medium of instruction rather than being forced upon them. I welcome the government in making Kannada one of the compulsory subjects which everyone in Karnataka has to study. It would be good if the government also makes it mandatory for CBSE and ICSE schools in Karnataka as they should not be allowed to go scot-free.”