The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, launched various projects of
the Union Ministry of Education from Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar today
(November 11, 2022). These include engineering books of All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE) in Odia language; glossary of the technical terms
in Odia language, developed by Commission for Scientific and Technical
Terminology (CSTT); and e-KUMBH (Knowledge Unleashed in Multiple Bharatiya
Languages) portal.
Speaking
on the occasion, the President said that she was happy to launch these
important initiatives of the Union Ministry of Education. These are commendable
steps in the direction of making education accessible to all. It has been
observed that many students face difficulty in understanding technical
education in English. That is why under the National Education Policy-2020, the
government has taken steps to provide technical education in the regional
languages.
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The
President said that there is no doubt that mother tongue helps intellectual
development in students. She expressed confidence that learning in mother
tongue would develop creative thinking and analytical skills among students and
it would also provide equal opportunities to urban and rural students. She
noted that earlier technical education in regional languages used to face
hurdles due to non-availability of textbooks in vernacular languages. She
appreciated AICTE for its efforts in removing this hurdle.
The
President said that education is a tool for empowerment. We must ensure that
each and every child in our country has access to education at every level. We
have to do our best to make the education available to all without any
discrimination. Language should be an enabling factor not a hindrance for
educating the students. The introduction of learning in regional and local
languages would go a long way towards building a well-educated, aware and
vibrant society.
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The
President said that Odia is an ancient and rich language. It has a distinct
literary tradition and rich vocabulary. Therefore, there would be no difficulty
in getting technical education in Odia language. She said that all Indian
languages have more or less the same potential. She was happy to note that
under the National Education Policy-2020, equal importance is being given to
all Indian languages. She said that it has ushered in a new era in the field of
Indian languages.
Earlier
in the day, the President visited Tapoban High School. After this, she paid a
visit to her alma mater Government Girls High School Unit-II and Kuntala Kumari
Sabat Adivasi Girls Hostel Unit-II where she had stayed during her School time.
The President interacted with students, teachers, alumni and inmates of the
hostel.