Students appear for Santhali literature exam at the LBSM College. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Dec. 12 : Over 2,000 tribal students today appeared in a Santhali literature and social science examination in centres in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa.

The examination is being conducted for the first time by All-India Santhali Education Council (AISEC), a government registered trust.

The examination was held here at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial (LBSM) College, where about 400 students appeared in the examination conducted in two sittings.

There were 19 examination centres spread in these three states.

A majority of the examination centres were based in Bankura, Purulia and Midnapore districts of West Bengal.

The council officials said the examination results would be published in February. The successful students in the secondary examination can take admission in intermediate schools and colleges.

AISEC chairman Salkhan Murmu said they have decided to apply to the Union human resource development ministry to give recognition to the syllabus for students of primary, middle and secondary level.

The curriculum prepared by Santhali language experts include six compulsory subjects ? general knowledge, general science, literature, social science, economics and political science. Two optional subjects ? English and mathematics are also part of the syllabus.

Murmu said induction of Santhali language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in December 2003, was a landmark event for the tribal population.

?As we wanted to include the language in our education system, the council has set the ball rolling by conducting the examinations for primary, middle and matric-level students in Santhali language with Ol-chiki script, the oldest language of tribals,? said Murmu.

From next year, the council intends to conduct examination in Bihar, Assam, Bangladesh and Nepal where the tribals have a significant presence. It also has plans to extend affiliation to other educational institutions and set up its own study centres in the tribal-dominated states.

Chairman of the syllabus drafting committee said the literature paper contains selected prose and poetry by eminent authors like Raghunath Murmu, the founder of Ol-chiki script.

The curriculum focuses on Santhali grammar and contemporary literary works of Rabindranath Tagore, Premchand and William Shakespeare. The social science curriculum includes history of Santhals and adivasis, Tilka Murmu, the first freedom fighter, Sidho Murmu, Kanhu Murmu ? the pioneers of Santhal Hul and Birsa Ulgulan. It also includes lessons on Sarna, Majhi Pargana, demographic features of Santhals in India and neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh.

Sumitra Tudu, a candidate, said, ?We are happy to appear in the examination conducted in our mother tongue. The effort undertaken by the council is commendable.?