Patna: The state govt has finalized ‘Policy 2026’ to bring all language academies under one umbrella, with the higher education department sending the proposal to the finance department for approval. After financial clearance, it will be placed before the cabinet for final approval and implementation.Under the proposed restructuring, the Bihar Regional Language Academy will include Bhojpuri, Maithili, Sanskrit, Bangla and Magahi. Separate academies for Bajjika and Surjapuri have also been proposed, which, once approved, will take the total number of academies to eight, officials said. All academies will function as a single entity under the higher education department, headed by an ex-officio chairperson, likely the department’s secretary or director. The structure will also include a director and two deputy directors, appointed either from within the government or externally.The institution is expected to have around six dozen staff, including research scholars, along with clerical and Group D employees. All appointments will be on an outsourcing basis. Each language will have designated experts with at least a postgraduate degree, while candidates with PhD and research orientation will be preferred. The minimum age for recruitment has been fixed at 25 years. However, Bihar Hindi Granth Academy and Bihar Rashtrabhasha Parishad will remain outside the ambit of this new structure.The move follows prolonged neglect of language academies, many of which have remained dysfunctional for over two decades. Most have fewer than two dozen employees and limited output, with publication activity nearly stagnant. In 2022, then chief minister Nitish Kumar had directed their reorganisation. Under the new framework, each academy will focus on promoting its language and literature while contributing to cultural research and documentation.
