The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) is facing mounting criticism after multiple translation errors in the Kannada version of the KPSC Karnataka Administrative Service (KAS) 2024 preliminary examination paper allegedly disadvantaged thousands of Kannada-medium aspirants.
Students, researchers, and Kannada advocates are now demanding a re-examination and immediate reforms to address these recurring issues.
Today, on Monday, February 17, the All Karnataka Students and Researchers Association (AKSARA) met with the Governor of Karnataka, Thawar Chand Gehlot, to raise these issues.
The delegation informed EdexLive that the governor reacted positively to their demands and assured them that he would write to the state government regarding the KPSC re-examination.
Translation errors
According to candidates, the Kannada translation of the exam paper contained over 70 significant errors, including incorrect wording, structural problems, and contextual mistakes. These errors made it difficult for Kannada-medium students to comprehend the questions correctly, ultimately affecting their performance.
“Essentially, the question paper includes both Kannada and English. However, the Kannada section presents several issues. First, there are translation errors. Second, there are structural problems in the statements. Third, the use of words is often incorrect — many words do not fit the context, leading to a change in meaning,” said Santosh Maroor, State Director of the All Karnataka Students and Researchers Association (AKSARA) and an exam candidate.
Impact on Kannada-medium candidates
The translation errors resulted in multiple challenges for Kannada-medium aspirants:
Difficulty in comprehending and answering questions correctly.
Increased time consumption — candidates reportedly spent up to four minutes per flawed question, affecting overall performance.
Unfair competition against English-medium students, who faced no such linguistic obstacles.
Significant mental distress and financial burden, particularly for students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds.
“In this exam, we encountered 79 flawed questions. Given the multiple-choice format, the confusing structuring of answer choices further complicated the process. Every mark matters in competitive exams like KPSC, and these errors severely disadvantaged Kannada-medium students,” added Maroor.
The impact is particularly severe as approximately 75-80 per cent of the 1,31,000 candidates who appeared for the exam were Kannada-medium students. Many of them, coming from rural backgrounds, rely on the KPSC exams as their primary opportunity for government jobs, said candidates.
A recurring issue
Candidates highlight that this is not the first time KPSC has come under fire for translation issues.
In 2024, a similar issue occurred when the recruitment exam for 384 gazetted posts featured 59-60 flawed questions. Following protests, the Karnataka government ordered a re-examination, which was conducted on December 29, 2024. However, candidates claim the same errors were repeated in the re-exam.
“Despite protests and government intervention, KPSC repeated the same mistakes. Now, out of 5,700 candidates who cleared the prelims, only 570 are Kannada-medium students — just 10 per cent of the total selected candidates. This is a massive injustice to the Kannada-speaking aspirants of Karnataka,” said Pawan Maharaj, State Organisational Secretary of AKSARA and another exam candidate.
Now, students and Kannada advocates have taken their grievances to the Governor’s Office, urging immediate action. They have called for:
A re-examination to ensure fairness for Kannada-medium candidates.
An expert committee review of the KPSC examination process.
Structural reforms within KPSC, including the formation of a dedicated Kannada translation team.
Question paper restructuring, ensuring original drafting in Kannada before translation to English.
The issue has gained traction beyond student groups, with prominent literary figures and political leaders voicing their concerns.
Despite mounting pressure, the Karnataka government and KPSC have yet to issue an official response.
“The state government needs to act now by ensuring real, structural changes that protect Kannada students in competitive exams. It is time to take a stand — not just for the language, but for the people who depend on it,” said Maroor.
