Bhubaneswar/Ranchi: The Odisha government has formally intervened after concerns were raised over the Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) publishing the Odia language syllabus for the Jharkhand Teacher Eligibility Test (JHTET/JTET) 2026 in Devanagari script.
In an official letter to the JAC, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Odisha’s Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Rashmita Panda, described the error as “highly regretful.” She highlighted that Odia, a classical language with its distinct script, is one of the 22 scheduled languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and one of the 11 recognised classical languages. “The use of an incorrect script, she stated, “undermines the linguistic identity and cultural significance of the language.”
The letter contrasted this with the Bengali syllabus, which has been correctly presented in its native script.
The issue surfaced following a representation submitted by Nandu Kumar Pandey from Jharkhand’s Saraikela-Kharsawan district and other concerned individuals to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The representation, which has been forwarded by the state government, demanded immediate republication of the Odia syllabus in the proper Odia script.
Besides script correction, the petitioners requested for inclusion of appropriate prose and poetry passages specific to the Odia language in the syllabus, while ensuring that the language is treated on par with other Indian languages in competitive exams.
The Odisha government has endorsed these points, urging JAC to take appropriate action to uphold the linguistic identity and cultural significance of Odia.
