The Kamtapuri Bhasa Academy constituted by the state government has readied study books of all subjects which are taught at state-aided primary schools of Bengal in Kamtapuri language.

The books were sent to the state government for approval while requesting introduction of Kamtapuri as a medium of instruction at pre-primary and primary classes at schools in the Rajbanshi belts of the state.

On Saturday, members of the academy held a meeting in Jalpaiguri, where they also said they had used Bengali script for the books.

In north Bengal, it is a longstanding demand of the Rajbanshi population to start primary education in Rajbanshi and Kamtapuri (a variant of Rajbanshi) languages.

“We have carried out studies and have found out that several centuries ago, Kamtapuri languages had a different script. But for some reason or other, that script was not preserved and it would take years of research to collate the script. Also, we need to have software of the script for academic and other works like software of other languages. That is why we have decided to use Bengali script for the books,” said Bajle Rehman, chairman of the academy.

He said in total, 33 books of different subjects from pre-primary till Class IV had been prepared and submitted to the state government for scrutiny.

“It is necessary to check out the books to affirm that those are in consonance with the syllabus that is followed in primary schools. We are hopeful that from next academic year, Kamtapuri language would be introduced as a medium of instruction in some schools,” Rehman added.

On Saturday, the academy members unveiled a book on the grammar of Kamtapuri language that has been written by Dharmanarayan Burma, a prominent researcher. The official magazine of the academy was also published on this occasion.