Khanapur: Youth activists of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), Khanapur, have submitted a memorandum to the Block Education Officer demanding that the Value Education textbook introduced for Class 4 students be made available in Marathi. They also urged the authorities to immediately appoint guest teachers to fill vacant posts in government Marathi-medium schools. The activists warned that if their demands are ignored, they will launch an agitation in front of the Education Department office.
The Karnataka School Education Department has introduced Value Education as a subject for Class 4 students from the academic year 2026–27 and has distributed textbooks accordingly. However, the textbook is available only in Kannada and English, creating confusion among students, teachers, and parents in Marathi-medium schools. The same books have reportedly been supplied to Marathi schools in Khanapur, Belgaum, Nipani, Chikodi, and Raibag.
Lessons such as Kindness Tree, My Best Friend – Characteristics, and Universality and Acceptance are written in English and Kannada, making them difficult for Marathi-medium students to understand. Teachers have pointed out that students who are not proficient in Kannada face significant challenges in learning from the textbook. As a result, teachers are forced to explain every lesson in Marathi, requiring additional teaching time.
According to teachers and parents, Value Education plays an important role in the overall development of students, but it should be available in their mother tongue. Therefore, they have demanded that the Karnataka Government either publish a Marathi version of the textbook or provide a separate Value Education textbook in Marathi.
The memorandum also highlighted the large number of vacant teaching posts in government Marathi primary schools across the taluk. The shortage of teachers is affecting the quality of education, and some parents are reportedly reluctant to enroll their children in Marathi-medium schools due to the lack of adequate teaching staff. The activists demanded the immediate appointment of guest teachers to prevent academic loss for students.
They further warned that if both demands are not addressed promptly, parents, students, and teachers will join together to stage a strong protest in front of the concerned office.
Those present while submitting the memorandum included Shri Patil, Balkrishna Patil, Swarajya Patil, Atish Fatan, Shubham Kamble, Ganesh Belgavkar, Ram Chikhalkar, Namdev Kutre, Mukesh Gurav, Shiva Patil, and other youth activists.
