Shillong, April 10: The government has proposed introduction of compulsory Khasi and Garo languages in schools for students up to class IV and sought suggestions from people.
The education department has circulated a discussion paper on the proposal.
The stakeholders including educators, parents, students, community leaders and government officials have been asked to submit their views and suggestions before May 9.
The proposal is also to make mandatory sister language exposure: where Khasi/Jaintia students will learn basic Garo, and Garo students will learn basic Khasi’
“This initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to foster linguistic integration, cognitive development, and cultural unity in Meghalaya,” Commissioner & Secretary in-charge Education Vijay Kumar Mantri said in the discussion paper.
“This discussion paper seeks feedback from stakeholders on the feasibility, challenges and broader implication of this proposal,” he added.
In view of addition of new languages, other subjects will be rationalised accordingly in order not to increase the burden on the students.
Mantri said the recruitment of trained Khasi and Garo teachers is a significant challenge, given the 9,665 primary schools across the state.
“To address this, it is suggested to introduce bilingual textbooks for basic Khasi and basic Garo. Since both languages share the same script, a teacher proficient in either Khasi or Garo can effectively teach the basics of the other language using these textbooks,” he said.
He anticipated the concerns from parents and students regarding additional workload or the perceived relevance of learning multiple languages and said, “However, extensive research supports the cognitive, cultural, and social benefits of early multilingualism. Additionally, learning a sister language fosters state unity and inter regional harmony, strengthening cultural ties across Meghalaya.”
“This proposal balances cultural preservation, educational excellence, and state integration. Your participation will ensure its success,” he said.
