Shillong: The Meghalaya Education Department has proposed making Khasi and Garo languages compulsory for students up to Class 4 across the state.
A draft proposal from the State Education Department, concerning the compulsory teaching of Khasi and Garo languages up to Class 4, has been sent to stakeholders for their feedback.
The department invited feedback from educators, parents, students, and community leaders. According to the department, comments and suggestions can be submitted via email to megeducation@yahoo.com by May 9, 2025.
The proposal includes a “sister language exposure” component, requiring Khasi/Jaintia students to learn basic Garo, while Garo-speaking students would be taught basic Khasi.
Students whose mother tongues include Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, or Nepali will be introduced to either Khasi or Garo, based on their school’s location.
Commissioner & Secretary Vijay Kumar Mantri said that the initiative aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to foster linguistic integration, cognitive development, and cultural unity in Meghalaya.
The proposal seeks to preserve the Khasi and Garo languages, which are integral to the state’s cultural identity, while simultaneously promoting mutual understanding between the two communities.
The department believes that basic language knowledge will help bridge cultural gaps between the Khasi and Garo communities.
To prevent increasing student workload, the education department plans to rationalise other subjects if new languages are added to the curriculum.
“In view of the addition of new languages, the other subjects will be rationalised accordingly in order not to increase the burden on the students,” Mantri said.
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Stating that recruitment of trained Khasi and Garo teachers is a significant challenge, given the 9,665 primary schools across the state, he said the department has suggested introducing 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,” Mantri added.
