Ranchi, May 22 (IANS) Efforts to resolve the dispute over the language policy for the Jharkhand Teacher Eligibility Test (JTET) failed to yield consensus at the second meeting of a five-member high-level committee of ministers held here on Friday.

The final decision is now likely to be taken by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The committee was constituted by the Chief Minister after controversy erupted over the recently approved rules for language for JTET, which excluded Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili and Angika from the list of regional languages for the examination.

The meeting in Ranchi was chaired by Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore. However, differences among ministers came to the fore, particularly over the inclusion of these four languages.

Minister Sanjay Prasad Yadav and Rural Development Minister Deepika Pandey Singh supported the inclusion of these languages, arguing that lakhs of candidates in border districts use these languages and excluding them from the examination process would be impractical.

Serious concerns were also raised over the existing language pattern. Some committee members objected to the rule mandating that candidates must choose one of 15 tribal languages. They said that these languages are rarely used in districts such as Palamu, Garhwa and Chatra. They argued that this requirement could put candidates from these regions into a situation of disadvantage.

During the meeting, Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu questioned the very composition of the committee, stating that on a sensitive issue such as language and cultural identity, there should be representation from Scheduled Tribes and minority communities as well.

The committee had also sought data from the Personnel and Education departments on the languages chosen by candidates in previous examinations. However, the departments failed to present clear data even at Friday’s meeting, drawing criticism from several ministers over the lack of preparedness.

After the meeting, Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore said that the suggestions and points of disagreement raised by members are being compiled, and a detailed report will be submitted to the Chief Minister within the next couple of days.

–IANS

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