Border‑area Kannada educators warn of protests over compulsory Marathi in TET

In response to Maharashtra’s recent policy that makes Marathi a mandatory language for Kannada‑medium teachers appearing in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha (KVS) has issued a strong warning. The union says the move violates NCTE guidelines and is an attempt to curb the use of Kannada in the state’s frontier districts.

During a meeting of its Special Executive Committee, KVS passed a resolution branding the decision as discriminatory and contrary to constitutional principles. The committee emphasized that Karnataka already permits Marathi‑medium teachers to sit the TET in Marathi and demanded that Maharashtra adopt a reciprocal approach for Kannada teachers.

KVS accused the Maharashtra government of trying to suppress Kannada by forcing teachers to sit the exam in a language they may not master. It also claimed that a recent Karnataka initiative aimed at reducing language‑related pressures on Kannada teachers was ignored.

Kannada‑speaking residents living near the Maharashtra‑Karnataka border have threatened “intense demonstrations” if the decree is not revoked at once. KVS has appealed to Maharashtra Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to discuss the matter with his Maharashtra counterpart and has asked Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step in promptly.

The controversy has also drawn political commentary. BJP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay reiterated that knowing Marathi is vital for anyone residing in Maharashtra, while NCP MP Prafull Patel argued that central government staff should not be subject to a state‑specific language prerequisite, as their recruitment follows a nationwide selection process.