The leader of the Opposition and TIPRA Motha MLA Animesh Debbarma expressed his gratitude to the government for permitting tribal students to use Roman script for Kokborok language examinations in Tripura.
He also urged the government to amend the Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) guidelines and allow both Roman and Bengali script for Kokborok language exams in the state. Debbarma asserted this would help the next generation.
Debbarma addressed a press conference in Agartala on Tuesday and said that the amendment of TBSE guidelines would benefit the next generation of Kokborok speakers. He also asked the government to set up board question papers in both Roman and Bengali script for Kokborok language exams.
Debbarma further demanded the government to publish Kokborok books in both Bengali and Roman script for the convenience of the Kokborok speaking students.
He also advocated for making Kokborok subject mandatory for all community students of the state. Debbarma said that making Kokborok mandatory would help the students of other communities to learn Kokborok language and improve communication among students of all communities.
Debbarma also revealed that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had shown interest in allowing Roman script for Kokborok language exams during the talks with Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, the former chief of the TIPRA Motha Party, in Delhi.
He said that Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha had initially misunderstood the issue which sparked confusion. But later, he recognized the fact and approved the Roman script.
Debbarma also spoke about the ongoing talks with the central government regarding the 'Greater Tipraland' demand.
He said that Pradyot Kishore Debbaema was in Delhi for high-level talks and there must be some positive development.
He reiterated that they were not compromise on their demands and they had the interests of the local indigenous people and the people living in the remote areas in mind. He said that they were in a dialogue process with the central government.