Efforts to settle the language policy disagreement for the Jharkhand Teacher Eligibility Test (JTET) faced obstacles during the second meeting of a five-member high-level ministerial committee in Ranchi. The committee, led by Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore, encountered challenges reaching a consensus, particularly regarding the inclusion of Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili, and Angika languages in the examination.
The dispute arose after the approved rules for JTET language selection sparked controversy by omitting the aforementioned regional languages. Ministers Sanjay Prasad Yadav and Deepika Pandey Singh advocated for the inclusion of these languages, emphasizing their significance for candidates in border districts who predominantly use them. However, disagreements persisted within the committee on this matter.
Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu raised concerns about the committee’s composition, suggesting the necessity of representation from Scheduled Tribes and minority communities in discussions involving language and cultural identity. Additionally, objections were raised during the meeting regarding the requirement for candidates to select from 15 tribal languages, with concerns that this could disadvantage candidates from certain districts like Palamu, Garhwa, and Chatra.
Ministers also criticized the lack of clear data provided by the Personnel and Education departments on candidates’ language preferences in previous examinations. Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore announced that the committee’s divergent viewpoints and suggestions would be consolidated into a detailed report for Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s consideration in the coming days.
