A Five-day National Workshop on Kui and Desia languages inaugurated at the Central University of Odisha

Koraput:29/5/23:A five-day National Workshop was inaugurated at the Central University of Odisha on 29 May 2023, organized jointly by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhubaneswar and Central University of Odisha to prepare learning-teaching materials to speak, read, understanding and writing at the elementary level for Kui and Desia speaking learners at the level of early education. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Chakradhar Tripathy, formally inaugurated the workshop. Prof. Basanta Kumar Panda, Director, Odia Classical Language Centre; Prof. N. C. Panda, Dean, School of Languages, CUO and Dr. Pritidhara Samal, renowned poet, spoke on the aspects to be given while preparing the textbooks at the primary level in Kui and Desia language. Dr. Kapila Khemundu, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, delivered the welcome address while Dr. Rudrani Mohanty, Lecturer, Department of Odia, compeered the programme and offered a vote of thanks. The workshop will continue till 2 June 2023 under the supervision of Prof. Basanta Kumar Panda, Director Odia Classical Language Centre.

It may be recalled that during the visit of Hon’ble Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan to Koraput on April 1, he felt the linguistic problems of the Kui and Desia-speaking people while expressing their problems. Therefore, during his visit to the Central University of Odisha, he called upon the Central University of Odisha and NCERT to produce textbooks in Kui and Desia languages. On the call of the Hon’ble Minister, a Committee was constituted for this purpose by NCERT. In the five-day workshop of the committee, textbooks will be prepared in Kui and Desia languages.

In his address, Prof. Tripathi laid emphasis on imparting primary education in one’s language and mother tongue and national integration as per the new National Education Policy 2020 of the Central Government. He said, “The development of one’s language and mother tongue is the nation’s development. Many nations have been divided, and many nations have been formed because of language. The Central Government aims to develop local languages and to engage in nation-building by tying all the local languages together. With the creation of textbooks in Kui and Desia languages, the people of this language will develop, and the country can develop.”

Giving importance to listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the workshop will produce textbooks in Kui and Desia languages and the work will be completed by the end of July, Prof. Panda said.

Dr. Pritidhara Samal, while preparing the textbooks in Kui and Desia languages, asked to give importance to the pronunciation, culture, and tradition of the people of this language.

On this occasion Members of the Committee Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra, Prof. Gopabandhu Mohanty, Dr. Parmananda Patel, Dr. Rajendra Padhi, Dr. Kapila Khemundu, Dr. Rudrani Mohanty, Dr. Govind Chandra Pendei, Suresh Khara, Sana Santa, Trinath Khara, Somnath Amanatya, Shiba Sankar Pattanayak, Geetanjali Pujhari, Narayan Majhi, Govinda Kumjharia, Hanak Tadingi along with Dr. Phagunath Bhoi, Public Relations Officer of the University were present in the workshop.