Does the drop in admissions for the Kannada Sahitya Parishat courses speak about the growing disinterest among people towards courses in Kannada?
Bangalore, April 9, 2018: The number of students applying for the epigraphy course curated by the Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) witnessed a drop in admissions from 50 applicants last year to 13 this academic year. A decade since this course has been initiated by the Government of Karnataka; the epigraphy course has seen a consistent drop over the years.
Affiliated to the Kannada University Hampi, Kannada Sahitya Parishat organises courses like Epigraphy, exams for Non-Kannada speakers and for the Pravesha, Kava, Jana and Rathna course.
Explaining the dip over the years, the course coordinator, Chittaiah Pujara said, “Before 2014 the course saw at least 80-100 students and after that it dropped to 50 till last year and this year it is a different case because we have only received 13 applicants so far. We are supposed to start the course next month.”
Manu Balegara, President of Kannada Sahitya Parishat, said, “Epigraphy has been there for 10 years, as it is a tough course to pursue and on top of that it is in Kannada. Very few take voluntarily take up Kannada after schooling these days.”
Study of inscriptions as writings, understanding and interpreting their meaning and classifying their uses according to dates and cultural context is the study of Epigraphy.
Applicants speak about the flaws in the application system of KSP. Apurva R, an applicant, “To apply for the course this year, I had to face a lot of difficulties. No online application is available. Neither is the syllabus specified.”
While the applicants point out issues with the application process, Manu Balegara, President at KSP responded by saying that KSP will look into making application process online.
The course coordinator, Chittaiah Pujara, “We used to have a permanent faculty of six but as the number of students kept dropping we have only guest faculty.”
Explaining the flexibility of the course, he added, “The duration is made so flexible, so that students can pursue their diploma. It is just thrice a week and in the evenings from six to seven.”
Apart from epigraphy, KSP organises exams for non-Kannada speakers, providing a certification in Kannada Language. Picking a book titled ‘Kannada for Non-Speakers’ from a stack and flipping through its pages, Shanta Kumari, the textbook department coordinator, said, “We have enough material for people from other states for sale in the Kannada Sahitya Parishat but not many people come to purchase. This stack is lying here since 2015.”
She added, “These books help in preparing for the Kannada examination for non-speakers but hardly people give exams”
Revati S, KSP Epigraphy student 2016, said, “I liked how they taught us but the problem I’m facing after the course is that it doesn’t hold much value in the state. Had I done the course in English, it would have held more value, I guess.”
