Preparing dialects dictionary for students

The Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Department has decided to release a first-of-its kind dialects dictionary which will have words in region-specific languages like Bhojpuri, Awadhi, Braj and Bundelkhandi, among others.

The move, in line with the new National Education Policy (NEP)-2020, is aimed at conserving regional dialects of the Hindi heartland and using them to better educate school children.

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has entrusted responsibility of coming out with a dictionary to Prayagraj State Institute of Education, said officials of the state basic education department.

According to official sources, teachers from different regions posted in primary and upper primary schools spread across the state will be able to explain the topics and the subjects better to the enrolled students in their own local dialects using the dictionary.

Naval Kishore, principal of State Institute of Education, said: "This will not only encourage the conservation of these dialects but also help in removing linguistic barriers. This will help teachers and students of government-run primary and upper primary schools of the UP Basic Education Council. The students would be able to better grasp the topics when teachers explain them in a language the children speak and understand better than Hindi and English."

He added that the order to develop a dictionary of regional dialects has been received.

A workshop will soon be organised in which experts from across the state will be invited to suggest ways to proceed with the mission.