Non-resident Indians (NRI) from Karnataka have urged the state government to grant accreditation to Kannada classes they conduct abroad to teach the language to their children.
Adapted curriculum
Rashmi Nagaraj, a resident of Germany, 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, said that NRIs of Kannada State are retaining lessons in abroad for their children at the weekend. “We have adopted the Kali-Nali curriculum taught here in our classes in Germany,” she said.
“In German schools, Hindi may be taught as a third language alongside English and French. If the state government grants accreditation to our Kannada classes, it is considered official. With this, we can appeal to the concerned authorities there to introduce Kannada as a third language in schools as well. This will help preserve and develop Kannada abroad. The state government and Kannada Development Authority should take appropriate action in this regard,” she urged.
On the same topic, UAE resident Shashidhar Nagarajappa said that a total of 5,866 NRI children are learning Kannada in different countries and 704 teachers are involved in teaching Kannada.
Also labor issues
Qatar-based HK Madhu underlined the labor challenges faced by Kannadiga workers abroad. “There are allegations that the camps where the workers are staying do not have basic amenities and that they are not receiving their monthly wages. They can come to their hometown once in two years but it is difficult to afford the air tickets,” he said, appealing to the State and Union governments to resolve their issues.
Published – Dec 22, 2024 8:26 PM IST
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