Agartala: Tripura’s Education Minister, Ratan Lal Nath, made a strong case on Sunday for the inclusion of Kokborok in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, emphasising that this would facilitate the language’s proper development and preservation.
Kokborok, the mother tongue of several indigenous tribes in Tripura, including the Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia, Uchoi, and Koloi communities, is one of the state’s official languages.
Speaking at the 47th Kokborok Diwas celebration at Rabindra Bhavan, Nath highlighted the government’s commitment to fostering the growth of tribal languages, including Kokborok.
“The inclusion of Kokborok in the Eighth Schedule would ensure its systematic development and recognition on a national level,” Nath stated.
He further pointed out that the state government has already taken substantial steps to promote the language by introducing Kokborok education from the primary to university level.
Currently, around 10,000 students are learning Kokborok in schools across the state.
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In addition to primary and secondary education, Nath shared that Tripura University, a central university, now offers a PhD program in Kokborok.
At present, four students are pursuing their doctoral research in the language, marking a significant step toward higher academic engagement with Kokborok.
While advocating for the advancement of Kokborok, Nath also called for the development of other tribal languages in the state, urging intellectuals from various tribal communities to actively participate in efforts to preserve and promote their linguistic heritage.
