Pradhan urges Gujarat to boost Odia language education for migrant community
Bhubaneswar: Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday wrote to Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel, seeking proactive steps to promote Odia language and education in his state, particularly for the large Odia-speaking community residing in Surat.
In his letter, Pradhan proposed establishing more Odia medium schools in Gujarat, which has only a handful of them, besides introducing Odia as an optional subject in colleges and universities and setting up dedicated Odia language departments. He underlined the need to strengthen institutional support for Odia language education to cater to students from migrant Odia families.
The Union minister urged the Gujarat govt to intervene for the social and educational development of the Odia community in Gujarat, noting that Odia-speaking migrants made significant contributions to the state’s industrial and social sectors. Surat, in particular, is home to 1.6 lakh Odia-speaking people. Surat has around 30 Odia medium private and govt schools. The letter followed a memorandum submitted by the ‘Surat Odia Samaj’.
Keeping in view the community’s aspirations and cultural attachment to Odia, Pradhan said expanding educational institutes that impart education in the language would be a welcome step. He also highlighted that the lack of adequate facilities for Odia medium education was a longstanding concern among migrant families.
Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, he said, “The policy lays emphasis on education in the mother tongue at the foundational stage, promotion of Indian languages, and strengthening multilingual education.”
In this context, he stressed the relevance of creating robust institutional frameworks for Odia language education in Gujarat.
The minister further suggested introducing Odia as an optional subject in higher education institutes and establishing Odia language departments in colleges and universities to ensure academic continuity for students pursuing higher studies. To improve academic quality and facilitate students transitioning between Odisha and Gujarat, he also recommended the adoption of NCERT-based curricula.
The minister additionally proposed launching a Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for Odia language, which, he said, would help address the shortage of qualified Odia teachers in govt schools.
In his letter, Pradhan proposed establishing more Odia medium schools in Gujarat, which has only a handful of them, besides introducing Odia as an optional subject in colleges and universities and setting up dedicated Odia language departments. He underlined the need to strengthen institutional support for Odia language education to cater to students from migrant Odia families.
The Union minister urged the Gujarat govt to intervene for the social and educational development of the Odia community in Gujarat, noting that Odia-speaking migrants made significant contributions to the state’s industrial and social sectors. Surat, in particular, is home to 1.6 lakh Odia-speaking people. Surat has around 30 Odia medium private and govt schools. The letter followed a memorandum submitted by the ‘Surat Odia Samaj’.
Keeping in view the community’s aspirations and cultural attachment to Odia, Pradhan said expanding educational institutes that impart education in the language would be a welcome step. He also highlighted that the lack of adequate facilities for Odia medium education was a longstanding concern among migrant families.
Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, he said, “The policy lays emphasis on education in the mother tongue at the foundational stage, promotion of Indian languages, and strengthening multilingual education.”
In this context, he stressed the relevance of creating robust institutional frameworks for Odia language education in Gujarat.
The minister further suggested introducing Odia as an optional subject in higher education institutes and establishing Odia language departments in colleges and universities to ensure academic continuity for students pursuing higher studies. To improve academic quality and facilitate students transitioning between Odisha and Gujarat, he also recommended the adoption of NCERT-based curricula.
The minister additionally proposed launching a Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) for Odia language, which, he said, would help address the shortage of qualified Odia teachers in govt schools.
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