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Primary schools: In government schools, from class 1, 2, 3 and 4, Kannada is used as the only teaching medium. But in private schools, English is used as the medium of instruction along with Kannada language.
Kannada is used in Radio, Foreign Stations, in Televisions, Movies, Tapes and cassettes. The use of Kannada in mass media like Radio and Television has a fairly wide coverage. Radio broadcasts in Kannada are carried on from six stations within the state of Karnataka, which are full time Kannada stations (have a major share of Kannada broadcasting time), while from the stations of Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune also some few hours of Kannada broadcasting is carried out. Three foreign stations Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Moscow also devote some short periods to Kannada broadcasting. In Television, two hours monthly is used from Chennai station (1981). Kannada movies are fairly popular in the southern part of the country. Music and folklore records of all kinds have been done by the radio station in large number. At present, there are many Kannada television channels in national as well as regional level. These channels carry out Kannada programmes for all twenty-four hours.
To consider the use of Kannada in various domains of social activities, it is found that the language is the main vehicle of community/ regional transactions in all spheres whether verbal and written encounter and communication. Among religious communities, excepting the Muslim, Kannada is used in all religious activities i.e., preaching and ritual etc. by Hindus, Christians, Jains and others. At the Union government level, Kannada is used frequently in verbal encounters only, at the state level, verbal use in all kinds of spheres is frequent, while written use is only occasional, but at the lower i.e., local level administration, the use of Kannada becomes almost all pervasive. In courts of justice, the use of Kannada is found to be lacking even at the state level, while in the lower courts, it is frequent in verbal business but only occasional in written judgments and administrative works. In the Parliament, a member can speak in Kannada, while in the state legislature; the use of Kannada is frequent, although only occasional in bills, decrees and written procedures. In commercial transactions, trade and industry, the use of Kannada is fairly common and even frequent in verbal publicity etc.
Kannada is considered as the official and administrative language of Karnataka state. Kannada is universal among the people at the local that is, from the village level to the district level administration in the verbal and also written media- both in external and internal exchanges of communication encounters and correspondence.
In regional level, the use of Kannada is unrestricted even when the use of English continues to be carried on in official state level correspondence and in the scientific or technical institutions of higher level learning, research and instruction. In state level written laws, directions, bills or notices are also occasionally done in Kannada. At the state level legislatures also, Kannada is used in debates, bills, decrees, recording of proceedings and committee meetings. Kannada is used commonly in lower level district courts. In the field of business, trade, commerce, manufacturing and service and sales industries, the use of Kannada is more frequent and is common in all sorts of activities whether verbal or written. In written correspondence, outside Karnataka and the areas where the regional language is other than Kannada, English is used instead of Kannada. In the Union Government offices, the use of Kannada is limited only to verbal encounters among the native speakers, whereas the written correspondences, file writing work, official meetings, internal or external are all carried on in English. In the highest level courts of law that is, the Supreme Court, English is the only language approved for use.
At the primary educational level, Kannada is used as the medium of instruction in all government schools and private schools of Karnataka. Even in some private schools, where the medium of instruction is English, Kannada is used as one of the subject of teaching. The government is giving free education upto eighth standard in order to encourage Kannada teaching.
In Secondary schools, the government of Karnataka made Kannada as the medium of instruction. In Non-government schools also, the teaching of Kannada is made compulsory.
In Pre-University and Undergraduate levels, Kannada is used as a medium of instruction along with English medium. In all the government colleges, Kannada medium is compulsory.
In Karnataka, the medium of instruction in Post-Graduation level is, English. Kannada is used as an optional subject as a major language.
In professional courses like Medical, Engineering and other Job-Oriented Courses, English is used as a teaching medium in Karnataka.
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