BHUBANESWAR: The State Government on Monday announced that all help will be provided for Odia students living in villages on Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. Announcing this after a meeting with a committee from the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council headed by its chairperson MA Shariff, Minister of State for School and Mass Education Samir Ranjan Dash said problems faced by students willing to learn Odia language at the border areas besides Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam districts will be sorted out.
Stating that around 4000 Odia students study in 120 schools, Dash said that there is large-scale vacancy of 140 Odia teachers in these schools. The Odisha government has appointed 130 Odia teachers through Utkal Sammilani to teach Odia in these schools, he said and added that the committee was also requested to introduce 50 marks Hindi optional subject for the students.
The House committee members also met Odisha Assembly Speaker Surya Narayan Patro. The Speaker said he has asked officials to visit the respective places after the budget session of the Assembly gets over and collect information about every student facing problems in their studies so that Odisha government can reach out to them on time.
Language-based education issues in border villages of Rayagada, Gajapati, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Ganjam and Koraput districts were also discussed.Shariff expressed concern over similar problems faced by students willing to learn Telugu in Odisha and informed the government that Telugu associations of border districts have submitted their memorandum to Odisha government in this regard. Around 80 lakh Telugu speaking people are residing in the districts of Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Nabarangpur and Malkangiri, he said.