Bengaluru: The department of collegiate education has directed principals of all govt and aided first-grade colleges and BEd institutions to use Kannada in all communications with the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).The directive follows a letter issued from the Kannada Development Authority (KDA). A circular issued Monday clarified that colleges may translate documents into English if NAAC specifically seeks details in that language.
KDA chairman Purushotham Bilimale, in a letter to the department on Dec 17, demanded the use of Kannada—described as a sovereign language of Karnataka—in all communications and correspondence with NAAC.In the circular issued by N Manjushree, commissioner of collegiate and technical education, it is noted that colleges communicating with NAAC on matters related to accreditation and other correspondence have largely been in English. The govt has therefore instructed principals of all govt and aided degree colleges and BEd colleges to use Kannada in their communications with NAAC.In a separate circular, the department also directed all colleges to obtain NAAC accreditation to avail grants from the Centre. It stated that accreditation under Sections 2(F) and 12(B) of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act is crucial for higher education institutions for recognition and validation, and to become eligible for development grants and financial assistance from the UGC.The department has asked all first-grade and BEd colleges to take appropriate steps to obtain accreditation and submit a status report to the department immediately.
