Bhubaneswar: Following concerns over the publication of the Odia language syllabus for the Jharkhand Teacher Eligibility Test (JHTET) 2026 in Devanagari script, the Odisha government has urged the Jharkhand government to republish the syllabus in Odia script.

In a letter to the Jharkhand Academic Council, which conducts the JHTET, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Odia Language, Literature and Culture Department, Rashmita Panda, termed the publication of the Odia syllabus in Devanagari script as “highly regretful.”

Panda urged the Council’s Secretary to reissue the syllabus in Odia script, citing the example of the Bengali syllabus, which has been published in its native script.

The letter further stated Odia has its own distinct script and is one of the 22 Scheduled Languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India. It also noted Odia is among the 11 recognised classical languages of the country.

Panda requested the Jharkhand government to treat Odia on par with other Scheduled Languages.

The letter also referred to a representation submitted by Nandu Kumar Pandey from Jharkhand’s Saraikela-Kharsawan district and others to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, seeking intervention in the matter.

The representation demanded republication of the Odia syllabus in Odia script, inclusion of prose and poetry passages in the subject, and issuance of model question papers in Odia script, in line with other languages.