The state education department has instructed the Jalpaiguri district administration to find vacant plots at two locations for setting up primary schools where students will be taught in Kamtapuri language.
Last week, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced that the state government would check out the infrastructure of 200-odd informal schools where the medium of instruction is Rajbanshi language and was mulling over the proposal to regularise such institutions.
“We have received a letter from the state education department to find out land for opening two schools where students would be taught in Kamtapuri (a variant of Rajbanshi) language. Our officers have started collecting details about such land in different locations of the district,” said Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate.
The Kamtapuri Bhasa Academy welcomed the decision to look for the plots.
“We thank the chief minister for the decision. We will soon meet her and the state education minister and urge them to start classes in the language on a temporary basis at some Bengali-medium primary schools where vacant classrooms are available. Also, we would seek the approval of some more Kamtapuri-medium schools,” said Atul Roy, the vice-chairman of the academy.