TIPRA Motha Party chief and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma has strongly opposed the Sub-Committee’s recommendation to exclude Roman script from the updated Kokborok syllabus for Classes IX to XII, calling it a “cultural injustice.” In a statement, Pradyot emphasized that the Roman script is the natural and preferred choice of the majority of Kokborok speakers due to its alignment with the language’s phonetics and syllabic structure. He termed the decision to ban literary works in Roman script as “deeply concerning” and urged the Tripura government to officially adopt the Roman script for Kokborok.
Highlighting precedents set by other northeastern states—such as Mizo in Mizoram and Garo and Khasi in Meghalaya—Pradyot said that script choice is well within the jurisdiction of state governments, even without 8th Schedule recognition. He also raised concerns over the use of Bengali script in CBSE and TBSE exam papers, demanding equal flexibility for Kokborok students as provided to Bengali-speaking students in Vidyajyoti schools.
TIPRA Motha reiterated its commitment to protecting and promoting the Kokborok language and called for an inclusive approach to curriculum development that reflects the linguistic reality of Tripura’s indigenous communities.
