Karnataka To Make All Government Schools Bilingual With English Option

The Karnataka government has decided to introduce English-medium sections in all government schools across the state while continuing Kannada-medium classes. The move is aimed at giving students and parents more choice and improving access to English education, especially in rural areas.

School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa announced that the plan will eventually cover all 48,527 government schools in Karnataka. Students will be able to study either in Kannada or English without the Kannada-medium system being removed.

Why Is the Government Making This Change?

In recent years, many parents have preferred private schools because they believe English skills are important for competitive exams, higher education and future jobs. As a result, several government schools have seen a decline in student enrolment.

The state's bilingual education programme started in 2019-20 in 6,539 schools. The students who joined the first batch have now reached Class 7.

The programme has expanded steadily:

• Around 2,000 schools started English-medium sections in 2024-25.
• Another 4,134 schools joined the initiative in 2025-26.

In Bengaluru North and Bengaluru South, 1,103 of the 1,465 government schools have already received approval to run English-medium primary classes.

Officials believe that providing English education in government schools will help keep students enrolled locally and reduce the need for families to spend heavily on private school fees.

Focus on Teacher Training

Education experts say the success of the programme will depend largely on how well teachers are prepared to teach in English.

To support the transition, the Education Department is working with organisations such as the British Council to provide training programmes for teachers. These programmes are designed to improve teachers' English communication skills and help them teach different subjects effectively in a bilingual classroom.

Experts, however, feel that short training sessions may not be enough and recommend regular, long-term training for teachers, especially those working in rural areas.

Kannada Will Continue to Play an Important Role

The state government has clarified that Kannada will remain an important part of school education. Students will continue learning in their mother tongue while also developing English reading, writing and speaking skills.

Benefits of the Bilingual Education Model

The dual-medium system is expected to offer several advantages:

• Parents will have access to free English-medium education in government schools.
• Families may no longer need to pay high fees to private schools for English education.
• Students can learn concepts more easily when they are explained in their home language while English terms are introduced gradually.
• Research suggests that bilingual learning can improve understanding, reduce learning difficulties and help lower school dropout rates.

The government believes the new system will make quality education more accessible to students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds while helping them build strong English-language skills.