Odisha IT Minister expresses concern over exclusion of Odia language from 'Swayam' online education portal

Odisha's Minister of Electronics, Information and Technology Tusharkanti Behera expressed concern over the omission of the local language 'Odia' in the Union Ministry of Education's 'Swayam online education portal'.

"The fact will be brought to the knowledge of the Union Ministry of Education and we will demand to make the courses available in Odia language. Under no circumstances, the future of Odia students will be compromised," Behera said

With children now relying heavily on online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Odisha government has been focusing on strengthening the network system in many interior areas of the state like Malkangiri district, the minister mentioned.

He also said that the Swayam online education portal is a good one, with study material on science, Engineering and Technology, Pharmacy, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Law, and Management, prepared by the best in the fields in major regional languages.

Expressing his disbelief of Odia being dropped from the portal even after it was announced earlier, the minister said, "The Union Ministry of Education had announced the availability of study material online portal in a total of 10 languages, including Odia to ensure that language will not be a barrier for learning. This was definitely a welcome move by the Central Government, but now it is ascertained that during the translation of study material by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Odia language has been dropped when it was already announced."

Calling the decision of the Ministry of Education (MoE), on the recommendation of AICTE, to drop the Odia language courses from the Massive Open online courses scheme, as 'unfortunate and unjust', the minister said that it would deprive lakhs of Odia students.

Saying that the decision of MoE wastes the state government's efforts to extend connectivity to the remotest area, Behera appealed for the reconsideration of the decision of the Education Ministry to include the Odia as a language for the educational platform SWAYAM for the greater interest of the Odia students.

( With inputs from ANI )

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