Odia University soon by Odisha Govt

Odisha government is considering a proposal to set up an Odia university. A committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary is examining the proposal.

Higher education minister Badri Narayan Patra said that with the Odia language all set to attain the classical language status, the proposed university would help in conducting research on Odia and its links with other languages.

“It is a matter of concern that the students are losing interest in Odia language. Enrolment for the subject in the state universities is decreasing considerably compared to other regional languages and English. In research also, more students are opting for other subjects than Odia,” educationist Debi Prasanna Pattnaik said.

“The proposed Odia University, on the lines of other regional institutions like Tamil University, Telugu University and Kannada University in Karnataka, will have five wings including Administrative, training, academic, research & editing and publication,” he said.

Indologist Hermann Kulke from Kiel University, Germany, said: “There should be an effort to preserve the classical language as regional languages are threatened by other languages and even foreign languages such as English.”