Online Kokborok Speaking Course has commenced for non-Kokborok speaking state government employees belonging to Group A, B and C categories on January 30. Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath has officially inaugurated Online Kokborok Speaking Course at Shiksha Bhawan. First batch of 100 government employees of eight districts have got the opportunity to learn Kokborok language including TCS and IAS officers. The coaching will be given by resource persons on evert Sunday, second and fourth Saturdays of every month. The learning course of the first batch will end on the second week of the third month since the starting of the course.
Mentioning this to be a breakthrough initiative, Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath said, the government has taken up various steps for the development of Kokborok language. This initiative has been taken to expand and bring Kokborok to non-Kokborok speaking people. After the Online Kokborok Speaking Course of the government employees, the department may consider about making Online Kokborok Speaking Course for general people. The Minister also called upon the journalists on learning Kokborok language. He said, in a short span of time the state government has introduced Kokborok as a subject in 116 schools starting from primary to higher secondary level. The cabinet decided to recruit 22 Kokborok Assistant Professors in 22 colleges. Tripura Public Service Commission has begun the recruitment process in this regard. He said, Kokborok is an official language and to increase its reach, initiatives have been taken up to recruit 14 Kokborok Post-Graduate teachers. Besides that, Kokborok handbooks for classes 3 to 10 have been released on Statehood Day this year so that the teachers could take Kokborok classes. Names of different governmental departments are also being written in Kokborok language. Earlier government press releases used to be released only in Bengali language. Now the press releases are being released in Bengali as well in Kokborok and English languages. Governmental schemes are now being published and broadcasted in English and Kokborok languages besides Bengali language. Awards were given away this year for contribution in Kokborok literature. Not only this, but the state government has also taken up different initiatives for the development of 7 minority languages such as- Kuki, Garo, Mizo, Halam, Chakma, Bishnupriya and Manipuri languages. In this regard, an initiative has been taken up to start a minor research program in the state.
After the inauguration of the Online Kokborok Speaking Course, Education Minister interacted with the trainees. He said, the trainees will be given certificates after the completion of their course. MLA and Chairman of Advisory Committee for development of Kokborok language development Atul Debbarma also delivered speech in the inaugural programme. Welcome speech was delivered by the Director of Kokborok & Minority Languages department Nagendra Debbarma. Others present were Deputy Director Sabyasachi Singh and other officials of the department.
