Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Speaker of State Assembly Rama Chandra Panda has submitted a memorandum to the West Bengal Governor urging him to accord recognition to all the Odia medium primary schools functioning in West Bengal at the earliest.
Odisha and West Bengal, the two neighbouring States, have deep cultural and historical relations with cordial social ties and there is a substantial population of Odia speaking community in West Bengal, especially in Kolkata city, the memorandum pointed out.
Currently there are more than two lakh Odias living in Kolkata and its adjoining areas and there are about 20 Odia primary schools functioning in West Bengal. These schools are being run privately and are not recognized by the State Government for years. As a result, the schools are facing a lot of administrative, fiscal and academic hurdles preventing their smooth management, Panda pointed out.
Expressing his concern over the deplorable condition of the Odia schools and the uncertain future of the Odia students, Panda said that though over the years the Odia community has been pleading with the West Bengal Government for recognition and taking over of the schools, yet it has merely fallen on the deaf ears of the latter.
Panda in his memorandum appealed to the WB Governor to accord recognition and take over the management of all the Odia schools in order to protect the constitutional rights of Odias who are a linguistic minority in the State.
It is learnt that on March 20 last, the West Bengal Minister for Municipal Affair has recommended to the State Education Minister for granting of Government recognition to the Odia medium primary schools.
Panda during his last visit to Kolkata on September 23last had met the WB Governor at the Raj Bhavan and apprised him about the problems.