GUWAHATI, March 4 � The Asam Sahitya Sabha on Thursday categorically stated that it will take to legal course if the central schools and all private medium educational institutions in the State fail to take the necessary measures to teach Assamese as per the central educational policy by the season of Bohag Bihu.
Addressing media persons here, functionaries of the apex literary body said that the central education policy makes it mandatory for the schools to have the provision of teaching the mother tongue if there is at least 20 per cent student speaking that particular language. The Sabha regretted Assam is yet to implement this policy though most of the States in the country have adopted it.
The Sabha said that it has been repeatedly pleading to all concerned to use Assamese, none has bothered which has compelled the literary body to decide on taking legal help if necessary this time.
The Sabha has also called upon all business establishments and private and government agencies to use Assamese on billboards, posters etc in areas where Assamese is used by majority and other languages such as Bodo, Karbi, Mising etc in certain areas.
The general secretary of the Sabha, Dr Paramananda Rajbongshi said that the Sabha will formulate a strategy for development of languages of the ethnic communities in the State and this strategy would be announced very soon.
�Apart from Assamese, the Sabha is concentrating on developing Bodo, Rabha, Karbi, Mising and many other languages spoken by the ethnic communities,� said Dr Rajbongshi extending support to the demand of the Bodo Sahitya Sabha for a separate directorate for the Bodo language.
On the other hand, Dr Rajbongshi informed that the Tripura government has extended full support to the proposal of the Sabha for a cultural centre in Agartala. It needs to be mentioned here that the Sabha in its mission to promote amity and cultural and literary treasures of the region has undertaken a project to set up cultural centres in the North East States. The government of Arunachal Pradesh has also supported the Sabha�s proposal for a cultural centre there.
The Sabha will begin the infrastructure work of its ambitious project of setting up a Assam Cultural University from March 15.
