Nagaland Governor calls for tribal dialects department in Indian universities

Kohima, March 29 (IANS) Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya on Wednesday called for the creation of a department of tribal dialects from the northeastern states in universities across India.

"Most universities in the country have Department for Foreign Languages, but not for tribal dialects," he said, while congratulating Congress Lok Sabha member Ninong Ering for introducing a Bill in Parliament for compulsory teaching of northeast culture in educational institutions.

"If one has to respect a person, one has to respect him in his dress, language, dialect, food habits, physical features, etc. He (Ering) felt that universities have to open up their mind towards tribals in general and the people of northeast in particular," Acharya said in a press communique.

As a first step the universities can open a Department or Chair to learn, speak and read the beautiful tribal dialects of northeast India, the Governor said.

The Governor said that under his initiative, NITTE Health & Science University of Mangaluru has already created a Chair in the name of Rani Ma Gaidinliu for teaching tribal dialects and has completed two batches of four tribal dialects (Manipuri, Assamese, Mao and Khasi) as a six-month certificate course.

He added that Alva's Education Foundation in Moodabidri, Karnataka and Manipal University in Mangaluru will be creating a chair or a department for Northeast Tribal Dialects shortly while Mumbai University and SNDT Women University (Mumbai), Symbiosis and KARVE University from Pune have also responded positively.

Acharya was positive that the move will bring awareness about the culture and history of the northeast in schools and colleges across the country.

Meanwhile, Acharya on Wednesday also sent a letter to Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, requesting him to consider the 1,379 Hindi teachers appointed under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme to continue till December 20 in Nagaland.

The teachers were appointed under financial assistance for appointment of language teachers from the HRD Ministry's Department of Education and Literacy.

Expressing concern that the Central government has already mentioned in a letter that the scheme will be discontinued upon completion of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017), Acharya appealed to Javadekar to continue the scheme for non-Hindi states like Nagaland where Hindi speaking people are positive agents to strengthen national integration.

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