CM defends Centre’s push for Hindi in NE

SHILLONG, April 12: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has defended the Centre’s reported move to make Hindi compulsory up to Class X across schools in the Northeast, striking a different note from a region largely opposed to it.
There is no reason why one should not learn a new language and Hindi, the most popular tongue in the country, he told journalists on Tuesday. “Learning Hindi or any other language will be an advantage for the youngsters,” he said.
Stating that the mother tongue should always get top priority, Sangma said the Centre should give an equal push to local languages by setting up institutes where local languages can be researched and documented.
“Funds should be given for setting up institutes to promote local languages and at the same time, people should be encouraged to learn Hindi and English,” he said, adding that a situation where people don’t want to learn Hindi should not be created.
The Meghalaya government is yet to receive any notification from the Centre on the move on compulsory Hindi in schools across the Northeast.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah created a political storm in the region after he said 22,000 Hindi teachers have been recruited in the eight Northeastern states, which agreed to make Hindi compulsory up to Class X.