In a significant move, Karnataka School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa on Friday announced that the third language in SSLC examinations will now follow a grading system instead of the existing pass-fail method.
The minister said that until now, the third language carried 100 marks out of the total 625. Going forward, marks scored in the third language will not be counted towards the final result. Instead, students will be awarded grades such as A, B, C, and D.
The new rule will apply to all third languages in the curriculum, including Hindi, Sanskrit, Tulu, Marathi, and Arabic. The decision will be implemented from the ongoing SSLC examinations, and an official order will be issued shortly.
The minister also announced the introduction of Moral Science as part of the curriculum, with free textbooks being provided by the government from the current academic year. He said the initiative is aimed at shaping responsible and value-driven citizens.
On the issue of social media usage among children, he revealed that a proposal to restrict access for those below 16 years was discussed in the Assembly and received widespread support. He stressed that the issue cannot be addressed by the government alone and urged parents to take responsibility for monitoring their children's mobile usage.
Highlighting broader reforms, the minister said the government is focused on strengthening public schools, ensuring transparency, and reducing exam stress. As part of these efforts, the introduction of three annual exams is intended to give students multiple opportunities to improve their scores.
