​​​​​​​New Delhi, January 22: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has written a letter to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel requesting for the social and educational development of the Odia community living in Gujarat, especially in Surat.

Pradhan has sought intervention of the Gujarat government for the promotion of Odia language and education in Gujarat.

In his letter Pradhan mentioned, Gujarat, especially Surat, has a significant Odia speaking population, who contribute significantly to the industrial and social sectors of the state. Keeping in view their interest and aspirations for Odia language and culture, Pradhan proposed to increase the number of Odia medium and higher secondary schools in Gujarat. He said that it would be welcome if the number of Odia language teaching and training schools were increased across the state.

The letter also read, under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Education Policy 2020 emphasizes on primary education in mother tongue, promotion of Indian languages ​​and making multilingual education accessible and empowering. In this context, institutional strengthening for Odia language in Gujarat is relevant and essential too. In addition, the introduction of Odia language as an optional subject in colleges and universities of the state and the establishment of dedicated Odia language departments will enrich linguistic permanence to students in higher education.

Pradhan in his letter also suggested the Gujarat government to introducing NCERT-based curriculum to improve the quality of education and facilitate students migrating between Odisha and Gujarat. In this context, he proposed to introduce state-level Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) in Odia for selection of efficient teachers in Odia language.This will help to overcome the shortage of qualified Odia teachers in government schools.

Worth mentioning, Pradhan based on the submission of the ‘Surat Odia Samaj’, urged the Gujarat Government to consider the matter with concern.