Emphasising Education in mother tongue, Das said, Article 350 (b) of the Constitution provides safeguards for the linguistic minorities in India. The New Education Policy 2020 echoing the ethos ofSamagra Sikshyaalso encourages state governments to ensure that wherever possible, students should be taught in their mother tongue/regional language/local language.
Odia-speaking people in Jharkhand under the aegis of Odisha Bhasha Vichar Mancha a civil Society group has been demanding revival of Odia-language schools in the state.
Odia schools in Jharkhand have been facing several issues such as after the retirement of teachers posted in Odia-medium schools, the state education department started appointing Hindi-speaking teachers in those schools, and the did not publish Odia books though the NCERT has given copyright to the Jharkhand government. The education department has started merging Odia-medium schools with Hindi-medium ones in regions with substantial groups of Odia-speaking communities. The recent decision of the National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE) to exclude Odia from the primary teachers training programme in the state has added to the woes of Odia people in Jharkhand.
The Odia language, literature and culture department of the Odisha government tweeted, The department has requested the school and mass education department to provide necessary Odia textbooks and take necessary steps for filling up vacant teachers posts.