NEET UG 2023: This year, only 1.7% of all registered candidates for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) (undergraduate)-2023 have selected Odia as their medium of instruction. Last year, it was around 2.1 percent.
Compared to other regional languages such as Gujarati, Bengali, and Tamil, very few candidates select for Odia. According to experts, the dearth of educational materials in Odia and the use of English as the medium of instruction are the reasons for this.
Sonamali Bag, the former director of medical education and training (DMET) in Odisha, stated that it is challenging to take the medical entrance exam in Odia. “Because candidates are accustomed to reading books on various scientific topics in English, they are unable to translate many scientific terms from English to Odia,” he added.
NEET UG 2023: No takers for NEET exam in Odia language
Further, he stated that regional languages cannot be used as a medium of instruction in medical colleges because medical terminology cannot be translated. “We need books written in the Odia language, which are extremely hard to find,” he continued.
The member secretary of the Institute of Odia Studies and Research (IOSR), Subrat Kumar Prusty, stated that all educational bodies in Odisha, including the Council of higher secondary education (CHSE), use English as the medium of instruction for Classes 11 and 12. “How can students choose Odia after completing two years of English-medium science?” he asked.
He stated that the state administration does not provide preparatory classes for Odia-medium students taking the NEET. “In Odia, we lack qualified instructors to instruct Plus II science students. We do not have enough books in Odia for these pupils so that they can become accustomed to taking entrance exams in Odia,” he continued.
Santosh Behera, a candidate from Ganjam, stated that he could not choose Odia as his medium of instruction in Classes XI and XII was English. “Because we’ve studied science subjects in English, it will be challenging to take the NEET in Odia. “Although I attended an Odia-medium school, we are accustomed to using English in 12th grade,” he added.
Bibhuti Sahu, a pupil from the city, stated that he is unaware of the Odia translations of English idioms. “From Class I to Class X, Odia was the medium of instruction. However, English is used in Classes XI and XII. We became accustomed to English, which compelled us to choose English in NEET,” he added.
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