Shillong: The Meghalaya government has made proficiency in the local language compulsory for recruitment to all posts under the District Selection Committees (DSCs) across the state.
Personnel Department Commissioner and Secretary CVD Diengdoh said on Tuesday that candidates will be required to clear a qualifying paper in the local language of the district where the post is located, in line with an office memorandum issued earlier.
Applicants seeking jobs in the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills districts will have to demonstrate the ability to read, write and comprehend Khasi, while those applying in the Garo Hills districts must qualify in Garo.
The qualifying test will be mandatory for all categories of posts that fall under the purview of the DSCs, the memorandum issued on Monday stated.
As per the new norms, five districts in the Khasi Hills and two districts in the Jaintia Hills region will prescribe a syllabus that includes grammar and composition in Khasi.
The remaining five districts in the Garo Hills will set a similar qualifying paper in the Garo language.
An official of the Personnel Department said the move is aimed at ensuring that district-level employees can effectively communicate with local residents and perform their duties more efficiently.
Clearing the language paper will be a prerequisite for eligibility, though it will be qualifying in nature.
The revised syllabus for the local language test will come into effect immediately and will apply to all future recruitment processes conducted by District Selection Committees in Meghalaya.
Last month, the Meghalaya Cabinet had also approved a proposal by the Education Department to introduce Khasi and Garo as mandatory subjects in the early classes across the state, underscoring the government’s emphasis on strengthening local language use.
