Bhubaneswar: School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash on Friday requested the Jharkhand Government to include Odia language in the curriculum of teachers’ training course in Jharkhand.
In a letter to Jharkhand Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto, Mr.Dash said people of Jharkhand and Odisha have a long standing homogeneous cultural heritage and identity. The people of both the States had fought valiantly against the oppression of British rule.
He said that exclusion of Odia language from the Teachers Training Course by the Jharkhand Government has created an “atmosphere of dissent, distrust and discomfort fanning controversies among the Odia speaking people in Jharkhand and border districts.”
The Minister said that an advertisement published on September 20 by Jharkhand Academic Council has created doubt in the mind of Odia speaking people in the state. In this advertisement, which is meant for primary school teachers’ training, Odia language has been excluded from the 7th paper while languages like Sanskrit, Bengali, Urdu, Ho, Mundari, Sanathali and Kudmali have been included, Mr.Dash said.
“It is therefore requested that your government should take needful action in this regard to restore and regain the trust and faith of Odia people. Hopefully, the action under your able leadership will prove that the policy of a welfare state not only shows a human face, but palpably animates itself with the emotive rhythm of a human heart,” Mr.Dash said in the letter to Mr.Mahto.
The Jharkhand government has rightly recognized the importance of this historical bond and accepted Odia as the second State Language of the State, he said.
“Our government is also funding about 160 teachers through Utkal Samilani to impart education in Odia in the Odia speaking tracts like Sareikala, Kharswan, Singhbhum and others. Around 35 Odia schools are also running in your state with the patronages of the government,” he said.
Two days ago, Leader of Opposition Pradipta Naik had also written letters to Chief Ministers of Odisha and Jharkhand over the issue.