Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Kannada medium linked to cognitive gap among Karnataka's tribal children
Some children in Karnataka, a state in India, go to boarding schools called Ashram schools.
Many of these children belong to tribal communities and speak their own mother tongues, such as Soliga, Jenu Kuruba and Kuruga.
But in school, they learn every subject in Kannada, a language many of them do not know well.
A new study looked at 300 children, aged 9 to 14, in these schools.
It found that tribal children had a harder time with memory, problem-solving and paying attention than other children in the same schools.
The study says this happens because the children do not learn in their own language.
There are also too few teachers from tribal communities who can teach in the children's mother tongue.
But the study found that tribal children are very good at outdoor skills, sports, storytelling and games.
Some experts believe teaching tribal children in their own language first would help them learn better.
They say Kannada can still be learned later.
A study published in the Journal of Social Inclusion Studies found tribal students in Karnataka's Ashram schools show poorer cognitive development than their non-tribal peers.
The study covered 300 students aged 9 to 14, including 150 tribal and 150 non-tribal students, in Mysore, Kodagu and Chamarajanagara districts.
Researchers attributed the gap to learning in Kannada instead of the mother tongue and a shortage of teachers from local tribal communities.
Tribal children were found proficient in ecological skills, sports, community-based learning, oral traditions and games.
A 2008-09 pilot with tribal-language textbooks for Classes I-IV drew a poor response from parents and teachers.
- Who
- Tribal students, including from the Soliga, Jenu Kuruba and Kuruga communities, and their non-tribal peers in Karnataka's Ashram schools, studied by D.C. Nanjuda of the University of Mysore.
- What
- A study found tribal children show poorer cognitive development, including memory, reasoning and problem-solving, than non-tribal peers, linked to learning in Kannada rather than their mother tongue.
- When
- The article does not specify when the study was conducted or published; it notes tribal-language textbooks were prepared in 2008-09.
- Where
- Ashram (residential) schools in Mysore, Kodagu and Chamarajanagara districts, Karnataka, India.
- Why
- Tribal children learn all subjects in Kannada from Class I with few mother-tongue teachers, which researchers say hinders cognitive development and academic achievement.
Mother-tongue education advocates
Supporters of Kannada-medium learning
Medium of instruction
Mother-tongue education advocates
The study and a noted linguist say tribal children should be taught in their mother tongue first, as low control over Kannada hampers cognitive development.
Supporters of Kannada-medium learning
Parents and teachers gave tribal-language textbooks a poor response, arguing children would struggle to transition to Kannada in Class V and preferring Kannada from the start.
National Education Policy
Mother-tongue education advocates
The linguist says the NEP's focus on mother-tongue education is inadequate and states find it easier to teach in the state or regional language.
Supporters of Kannada-medium learning
The NEP already allows flexibility to teach in the mother tongue, regional language or state language, which states use to decide their approach.
Assessing tribal children's abilities
Mother-tongue education advocates
Standard measures show tribal children lag in recognition, reasoning, memory and problem-solving abilities.
Supporters of Kannada-medium learning
Tribal children are proficient in ecological skills, sports, oral traditions and community-based learning, which such measures may not capture.
- Study title
- Culture, Cognition and Schooling: A Comparative Study on Cognitive Development of Tribal and Non-tribal Schooled and Unschooled Children in Karnataka, India
- Publication
- Journal of Social Inclusion Studies
- Lead researcher
- D.C. Nanjuda, University of Mysore
- Funding agency
- NCERT
- Sample
- 300 students aged 9-14 (150 tribal, 150 non-tribal)
- Districts covered
- Mysore, Kodagu, Chamarajanagara
- Tribal communities
- Soliga, Jenu Kuruba, Kuruga
- Tribal-language textbooks
- Prepared in 2008-09 for Classes I-IV; poor response from parents and teachers