BHUBANESWAR: The state government has asked all the higher secondary schools, degree colleges and universities to mandatorily display their signboards and nameplates of faculty and authorities concerned with all higher education institutions (HEIs) correctly in Odia.
In a directive to all the HEIs on Wednesday, the Culture department has asked the principal secretaries of both the Higher Education and School and Mass Education departments to ensure that Odia language is used in the signboards of all HEIs and nameplates of faculty members, non-teaching staff and heads of the institutions. The institutions have been given a deadline of 30 days to implement the order.
As per the directive, the first line of the signboard or nameplate will be written in Odia, English can subsequently be used but in a smaller font size. Giving the example of all other states in the country that use both regional language and English or Hindi in signboards and other publicity materials, Director of Culture department Ranjan Das said this directive for HEIs will help in propagating and popularising the Odia language among students. It is to be noted that many HEIs, particularly private institutions, just have English signboards.
Back in 2018, the state government made it mandatory for all public schools to put up signboards and nameplates in the Odia language. Prior to that in August 2016, the government enacted the rules of the Odisha Official Language Act, 1954, formally bringing it into force for official work in the Odia language.