Odisha Minister Expresses Concern over Exclusion of Odia Language from Teachers’ Training Syllabus in Jharkhand

Bhubaneswar: Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash has expressed concern over the exclusion of Odia language from the curriculum of Teachers’ Training course meant for primary teachers.
Dash wrote a letter to Jharkhand Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto seeking needful action to restore and regain the trust and faith of Odia speaking people.

“It is well known to everybody that the 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. The Government of Jharkhand have rightly recognized the importance of this historical bond and accepted Odia as 2nd State Language of the State”, the letter reads.

Odisha is funding near about 160 teachers through Utkal Samilani to impart Education in Odia in the Odia speaking tracts like Sadheikala, Kharasuan, Singh Bhoom etc. Near about 35 nos. of Odia schools are also running in Jharkhand with the patronages of the Odisha Government, Dash said.

But, the Advertisement (No.33/2021) published on 20th September by Jharkhand Academic Council has created doubt in the mind of Odia speaking people of your State. In this advertisement, meant for Primary School teachers’ Training Odia Language has been excluded from the 7th paper where as languages like Sanskrit, Bengali, Urdu, Ho, Mundari, Sanathali and Kudmali have been included. This has created an atmosphere of dissent, distrust and discomfort fanning controversies among the Odia speaking people, the Odisha Education Minister.

It is therefore, requested that your Government should take needful action in this regard to restore and regain the trust and faith of Odia speaking people, he urged his Jharkhand counterpart.