Aizawl: In a bid to improve Hindi language proficiency, the Mizoram government will introduce a ‘Hindi-speaking day’ in all schools across the state, a minister said on Tuesday.
School Education Minister Vanlalthlana said that the Hindi-speaking day will be observed once a month under the supervision of the state School Education Department. On the designated day, students and teachers will be encouraged to speak and converse exclusively in Hindi, including during school recess.
The initiative aims to enhance spoken Hindi skills among students, he said, noting that Hindi is rarely spoken in Mizoram due to the limited presence of Hindi-speaking populations. Mizo and English are the official languages of the state.
Vanlalthlana said many Mizo people face language barriers when they travel or work in other parts of the country because of limited proficiency in Hindi. He added that knowledge of Hindi has become increasingly important for students seeking employment outside the state.
To support the initiative, Hindi teachers will receive specialised training to help students achieve fluency. Students who struggle with the language will be provided additional support. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will prepare textbooks focused on spoken Hindi, the minister said.
“Considering the importance of spoken Hindi, the government will officially notify Hindi-speaking day for all schools, during which Hindi will also be used during school recesses once a month,” Vanlalthlana said.
The minister also announced that the government will introduce a ‘home language day’ in all English-medium schools to promote and preserve local languages. Under this initiative, students will be allowed to communicate in their mother tongues during school recess once a week.
He said the move was necessitated by the increasing dominance of English among students, even in their homes and outside school environments, at the expense of local languages.
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Additionally, Vanlalthlana said the state government will take steps to ensure that all teachers employed under the state government—except those with less than five years remaining before retirement—clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) within two years of the issuance of the order, in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling.
