LEARNING UNDERGRADUATE COURSES IN REGIONAL LANGUAGE (ODIA): CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

This research looks at the challenges and opportunities of teaching and learning undergraduate courses in the Odia medium. It focuses on protecting cultural heritage while solving big problems in the system. Based on ideas from the NEP 2020, the study highlights how teaching in a student's mother tongue can make learning more inclusive and accessible. Using a mix of methods, data was collected from 117 students in different courses and semesters, including Odia and English medium students in almost equal numbers. Tools like surveys and interviews helped gather information about resources, teacher skills, how easy the lessons are to understand, career options, and the use of technology in education. The results show some big issues like limited resources (M = 9.26), lack of training for teachers (M = 8.12), and a strong preference for English-medium education in society. However, teaching in Odia also showed good results like clearer understanding of concepts, less academic stress, and better classroom participation. The study suggests solutions like investing in better resources, training teachers in both Odia and English, and using technology to improve Odia education. These findings give useful ideas for making education fairer and more inclusive while promoting regional languages.