LAW KUMAR MISHRA
PATNA :Fulfilling its promise in the assembly elections manifesto,the NDA government announced local languages and mother tounges would be the mode of teaching in primary and middle schools in Bihar.Announcement was made by the education minister,Vijay Kumar Chaudhury.
Chaudhry said it would be a befitting tribute to the noted Hindi scholar,Phaniswhar Nath Renu who promoted regional languages and dialects in his writings,including Parti Partikatha on which the Rajkumar-Waheeda Rehman starring film Tisri Kasam was made in the 70s.
He said government has decided to make local languages and dialects like Magahi,Maithili,Bhojpuri as medium of instructions from the coming academic session.He claimed teachings in local languages would help the students learn better in their mother tounge,Necessary instructions have been passed on to the regional directors of education.
Minister said teachers having proficiency in local languages would be posted in the area specific schools to teach students in their mother tounge.There are 72000 government schools in the state.
This year,Bhojpuri,Magahi and Maithili would be the medium of instructions ,but later teachings would be started in Vajjika and Angika also.Angika is a recognised subject in Bhagalpur university since 1994 and there is an university department also in the lnguage spoken in over a dozen districts of Bhagalpur,Munger and Purnia divisions.
Magahi is the popular mother tounge in the central Bihar districts of Patna,Gaya,Jahanabad,Arwal,Nawada and Nalanda districts,while Bhojpuri is spoken in several districts of Saran division,including Siwan,Chapra,Gopalganj,East and West Champaran and four districts of Shahabad region-Bhojpur,Buxar,Kaimur and Rohtas.
Maithili is the only lanuguage spoken in entire Mithula region of North Bihar,including Darbhanga and Tirhut divisions ,like Darbhanga,Saharasa,Supaul,Madhubani,Sitamarhi,Sheohar,Samastipur.
BJP in its maniesfto had promised making Hindi as medium of instructions in the technical institutions too.
To make up the loss of session during the Corona period,government has decided to introduce three months Catch up course for the school students,he saId.Government will give free uniforms and cycles to all students,irrespective of their attendance percentage.Earlier,the facility was restricted to only those students who have 75 per cent attendance.