Education Minister of Meghalaya Lahkmen Rymbui urged the Centre to include Khasi and Garo languages in the Central Board of Secondary Education language options, particularly under the three-language formula. In a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Rymbui highlighted that a large number of students in CBSE-affiliated schools across Meghalaya belong to tribal communities where Khasi and Garo are widely spoken and form the foundation of early learning and daily communication. For many children, these languages are their primary medium of understanding and expression. He noted that Khasi and Garo, recently recognized as official languages of Meghalaya alongside English, are not currently included under the CBSE’s R1, R2, or R3 language categories. This creates challenges for students, who are required to choose a third language that may be unfamiliar at an early stage, potentially affecting their comprehension and learning outcomes.
The minister also pointed out that the Meghalaya government has made Khasi and Garo compulsory from preschool to Class 1 in all schools, including CBSE-affiliated institutions. Many schools in the state, including central and Eklavya schools, follow the CBSE curriculum. Rymbui raised concerns about the administrative and human resource implications, stating that many teachers are currently engaged in teaching Khasi and Garo. Without formal recognition under CBSE, their roles may face uncertainty, affecting their professional stability.
He further warned that schools, especially in rural and remote areas, may struggle to recruit qualified teachers for alternative languages within a short timeframe, potentially creating implementation gaps and putting additional pressure on limited educational resources. Referring to the National Education Policy 2020, the minister emphasized the importance of mother tongue and local languages in early education to improve learning outcomes and ensure holistic development. He said that including Khasi and Garo would align with the policy’s objectives.
Rymbui added that their inclusion would support students, address practical challenges for schools, safeguard teachers’ roles, and help preserve Meghalaya’s linguistic heritage. He also noted that other northeastern languages like Mizo and Tangkhul are already included in CBSE despite having smaller speaker populations. The letter was submitted to the Union Minister through Rahul Singh amid the ongoing Parliament session.