GUWAHATI, June 5 - The State education department will put the matter of language policy for primary education in the agenda of next Cabinet meeting of the government for further consideration. This was stated by State Chief Secretary Alok Kumar on Tuesday during a meeting with a delegation of the Asam Sahitya Sabha.
�The language policy for primary education was finalised by the Sabha in consultation with language experts on August 7 last year and submitted to the State government for implementation,� Sabha president Dr Paramananda Rajbongshi said.
In the presence of the Sabha delegation, the Chief Secretary discussed the matter with officials concerned and assured that the language policy would come into being very soon, he added.
Clearing its stand over the new national language policy, the delegation told the Chief Secretary that the Sabha would never oppose the move to implement Hindi language, but �the new policy should also have to work on the implementation of Assam�s official language and other indigenous mother tongues up to Class XII in all schools of the State, failing which the Sabha would oppose the policy.
While the delegation also urged the higher officials of the Assam government to convey the Sabha stand to the Central government, the Chief Secretary assured it of all necessary measures in connection with the matter.
Meanwhile, considering another demand of the Sabha, the Chief Secretary announced inclusion of a paper on the history and traditions of Assam along with Assamese and other indigenous languages in the Assam Civil Services examination.
�Alok Kumar had stated that, as per the Official Language Act, a candidate can write the answers of the paper even in Bodo and Bangla languages. The matter will also be included in the agenda of next Cabinet meeting,� Dr Rajbongshi said.
In the same meeting, the Chief Secretary announced that the State government would make it compulsory for all colleges and universities of Assam to publish all their notices in both English and the official language of Assam, besides ensuring use of the languages in other official works.
In another meeting with office-bearers of the Assam Secretariat Employees Union, the Sabha delegation urged it to help implement the Assamese language in official activities of the Secretariat.
Reacting to the �Chalo Paltai� campaign, the Sabha president during an interaction with the media later stated that the conspiracy of a section of anti-Assamese people would never fructify.
�We have already visited most of the char (riverine) areas and tea garden areas of the State and all those people assured us that they would mention Assamese as their mother tongue or the link language during the next census,� Dr Rajbongshi said.
