Agartala: The Tripura government has launched an online learning course of the local dialect Kokborok, for government employees who can’t communicate in that language, officials informed on Monday.
Kokborok is recognized as an official language of the state along with Bengali and English and is spoken by over 32 per cent of the indigenous people of the state.
Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath after launching the course told the media on Monday that in the first batch, 100 government employees from all eight districts would be provided basic online training to learn to communicate in Kokborok language.
The trainee list includes officers of All India Administrative Service, Tripura Civil Services, Police and Forest Service. This was initiated after the state government made the administrative functioning in Kokborok and knowing the basics of the language a must for its employees. The training would be carried out on Sundays; second and fourth Saturday of every month, as those days are paid holidays in the state.
The training of each batch will be completed in 14 weeks, Nath underlined adding, “The state government has taken various initiatives to promote Kokborok language including making accessible the language to non-Kokborok speaking people.”
He pointed out that the state government has introduced the Kokborok language as a subject in a total of 116 schools from primary level to higher secondary level as of now and appointed teachers, which will gradually be extended to all the schools. The cabinet has recently decided to appoint Kokborok assistant professors in 22 government degree colleges.
In addition, Kokborok Handbook for Classes III-X has been launched on this year’s Kokborok Day to encourage people of other language groups to learn Kokborok, which will further strengthen the relationship between tribal and non-tribal communities.
Besides, several initiatives have been undertaken for the promotion and development of other indigenous languages like Kuki, Garo, Mizo, Halam, Chakma, Bishnupriya and Manipuri. The government has decided to sponsor action oriented Minor Research Projects related to the language, life and culture of those communities living in the state.
