Agartala, March 17: Tipra Motha party founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma has expressed deep concern over the inconvenience faced by Kokborok subject candidates appearing for the CBSE Class 12 board exam in Tripura. In a social media post, Debbarma highlighted that the question paper was published in Bengali script, leaving students from English-medium backgrounds unable to answer.
While some schools provided assistance through teachers who translated the paper, many lacked translators, forcing students to submit blank answer sheets, Debbarma claimed.
He further pointed out that this issue had been raised a year ago, and authorities had assured that invigilators would translate the question paper into English or Roman script for students unfamiliar with Bengali. However, this commitment was not honored in many examination centers, leading to significant difficulties for tribal students.
Debbarma also demanded an investigation into why the government’s previous assurance was not implemented in certain examination centers.
Accusing certain forces of deliberately disadvantaging the indigenous population, he urged students, MLAs, and youth leaders to raise their voices inside and outside the Assembly.
Debbarma, also the royal scion of Tripura, emphasized that being part of the ruling alliance does not mean compromising with injustice. He stated that he would soon meet Chief Minister Manik Saha to address the issue, stressing that language and education should not be politicized.
He reiterated that English education is crucial for the future of tribal youths, enabling them to secure global employment opportunities.
The issue is likely to escalate politically, as the demand for Roman script for Kokborok, in addition to Bengali, has been a long-standing dispute in the state including between the ruling BJP and its tribal allies, Tipra Motha and IPFT.
