Sitharaman, Dharmendra launch Kuwi & Desia books in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched Kuwi and Desia books at Bhubaneswar on Thursday.

The event also witnessed the special cover release on behalf of the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, Government of India. This marks a collaborative effort with Central University of Odisha (CUO), Koraput, Department of Posts, and NCERT.

Speaking on the occasion, Sitharaman said the National Education Policy 2020 is a very progressive policy. It is a result of different people putting their minds together & extensive consultations. “NEP is a flexible policy. It is not something that the Centre decides and imposes on all the states. It is a broad framework and the states are left to adapt it according to their requirements,” she explained.

The Finance Minister further said that when one learns, speaks & thinks in one’s mother tongue, there’s a clarity of thought which can be used later. That’s why learning in the mother tongue is important. The Education Ministry and the Minister are making all out efforts for education of tribal children, she said.

The step to introduce primers in local languages and dialects is a generational one & will also further enrich PM Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’, she added.

Addressing the gathering at the launch ceremony, Dharmendra mentioned that there are over 62 tribes covering 23% of total population of Odisha, so, it becomes necessary to teach students with help of pictures, stories and songs based on their local nature and culture to improve their speaking skill, learning outcome and cognitive development, he added. In this regard, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), for the first time, in collaboration with Central University of Odisha, has prepared two invaluable books: the “Kuwi Primer” and “Desia Primer”, for those children, who are speaking Kuwi and Desia tribal languages in the undivided Koraput district of Odisha, he informed. He said that these two primers will not only shape a strong educational foundation of those children but also preserve and foster the cultural, linguistic heritage and identity of tribal community of Odisha.

The Ministers attended a series of events during the day under the nationwide “Meri Maati Mera Desh” campaign, on the call of the Prime Minister of the country, to pay homage to the heroes who sacrificed for the country.

The Ministers visited Sand Art on “Meri Maati Mera Desh” by Padmashri Awardee Sand Artist Sudarshan Patnaik at Puri Beach. Shri Pradhan expressed that the artwork is an unique and admirable way to pay tribute to the “heroes” who sacrificed their life for the country. He thanked all the sculptors involved in this work.

Under the ‘Dedication of Shilaphalakam’ and ‘Vasudha Vandan’ initiative of Meri Maati Mera Desh, both the Ministers along with students installed a ‘Memorial Plaque’ in memory of Martyrs and also participated in a tree plantation event at Sadashiv Campus of Central Sanskrit University in Puri.