Sunday, December 29, 2024
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Compulsory teaching of Khasi and Garo in schools

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Editor,
Apropos the news article titled ‘Govt Mulls Compulsory Khasi, Garo Languages Up to Class VIII,’ published in The Shillong Times on 18 December 2024, I am writing regarding the government’s initiative to make Khasi and Garo languages compulsory up to Class VIII. As a teacher, I am thrilled by this long-overdue decision.
In this respect, I would like to inform that the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBOSE) has already prescribed the ‘Learn Khasi, Learn Hindi’ and ‘Learn Garo, Learn Hindi’ textbooks for Classes 5 to 8 over the past five years. I have personally used these books for many years to teach Khasi to non-tribal students and Hindi to tribal students, with excellent results. This has proven that children can definitely learn Khasi and Garo if teachers put in sufficient effort in their classes. These books also include functional grammar and day-to-day conversational sentences, both in English and Hindi, that help students improve their conversation skills in local languages.
But what is unfortunate is that many schools in urban areas currently do not have fixed, regular slots for teaching Khasi and Garo. No school should neglect this aspect any longer. My suggestion to MBOSE is to direct all schools in Meghalaya to strictly allocate at least two classes per week for compulsory Khasi and Garo lessons.
Furthermore, MBOSE should consider instructing all schools to implement a policy requiring students to speak Khasi or Garo in all schools in the state for at least two days a week. This compulsory speaking practice among school friends and teachers will help students quickly develop their communication skills in these languages.
Yours etc.,
A concerned teacher
Name withheld on request
Via email

Relentless Journalism

Editor,
“It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agenda of the message and the myths that surround it.” ― John Pilger, Hidden Agendas
As the media landscape in the Northeastern part of India gets more blurry, I am reminded of Anna Politkovskaya, Gauri Lankesh, Binalakshmi Nepram to name a few who have taken on the strong and mighty. The chicken neck corridor which links us with the rest of the country has turned us into mere mortals for power brokers at Lutyens Delhi. Having spearheaded the cause of women’s rights to being vocal on issues such as the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, to insurgency, environmental concerns etc., the Editor of The Shillong Times was recently honoured with the Saahas Shrestha: Shero of Courage award which should inspire potential authors and media specialists from the region to enable a better journalistic space brimming with ideas.
Ms Mukhim’s writings, appearing in major outlets like The Scroll, The Indian Express, The Wire, The Hindu, and The Assam Tribune, have countered bad reporting that has marred regional understanding and opinions, providing analysis and outspoken views that the mainstream media sometimes overlook.
The sparks of the geo-political embers burn bright as ever with regime changes in Syria, the Middle East crisis, Bangladesh’s governance problem or Myanmar’s junta. The lack of a think-tank to discuss and enlighten these core topics is a far-fetched dream. Ms Mukhim who was also a member of the National Security Advisory Board at one point of time stood shoulder to shoulder with former Generals and policy makers to carve a blueprint for the nation’s security giving more latitude towards future engagements with this part of the world. Shillong played host to a brainstorming session on the Indo-Pacific Strategy, jointly organized by the US Consulate and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) last month.
The Northeast of India is gradually becoming a focal point for foreign powers; consequently, narratives change very quickly. Journalists like Ms Mukhim could very well usher in a new breed of ‘Fourth Estate’ digital warriors carving out a new template in this Brave New World.
Yours etc.,
Christopher Gatphoh,
Shillong-10

State should nurture young talents

Editor,
A kite needs guidance and support, before reaching high in the sky. But, after it gains that height, it can fly on its own. This highlights the fact that a person needs every kind of support in the very beginning so as to bloom in her/his talent. The decision makers of our country must pay heed to it. The policy makers must acknowledge that young talents, both in academics and sporting fields, need government support in their formative years when it matters the most. Otherwise, many talented boys and girls cannot reach the heights they deserve.
In the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, India got 71st position with zero gold, 1 silver, and 5 bronze medals while Hong Kong achieved 37th rank with 2 gold, zero silver, and 2 bronze medals. The number of medals a country wins in the Olympics should ideally be proportionate to the number of young people in that country. India’s position vis a vis its demography is more advantageous than that of many countries. Now, if we compare the number of young people in our country with that of Hong Kong, then we will realise that the latter is a success story that we should emulate.
But why this difference? It would be totally wrong to infer that the difference lies in racial diversity. Black, white, yellow, and brown athletes have shown that talent is not a monopoly of a particular skin colour. They have totally debunked the theory of racial supremacy. So, the answer lies somewhere else.
Only a small percentage of families in our country can afford to financially and logistically nurture the talent of their children. Imagine what would have happened if almost all the children of our country had the financial springboard either from their parents or from the state to aim for medals at the Olympics. India would have been at the top of the Olympics ladder had it reached a high ranking like Hong Kong’s fourth position in the Human Development Index from its present ranking of 134.
The state can play a big role by trying to create a level playing field especially by paying greater attention to health and education. Those countries that give top priority to these two issues naturally score high on the Human Development Indices (HDI). This is because the HDI is a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development like – a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living.
To become a competitive sportsperson, a child first of all needs good health and a decent standard of living, both of which are among the three key dimensions of human development. Hence there is a close connection between the rank of a country in the global hunger and human development indices, and that of its performance in the Olympics. In this context, it is pertinent to recall the observations of Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. They marked high malnutrition as a significant contributor to India’s Olympics under-performance and urged the need for better investment in the health sector as a whole.
The economists wrote in their book, Poor Economics, “Of course India is poor but not as poor as it used to be, and not nearly as poor as Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda, each of which, per head, has more than 10 times India’s medal count.”
‘Catch them young’ is an unavoidable roadmap for a country’s success in sports. The improvement both in hunger and human development indices is in sync with this roadmap. Merely giving money and incentives to sportspersons only after they attain success in international arenas is like putting the cart before the horse.
Yours etc.,
Sujit De,
Kolkata

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