Teachers oppose move to dilute Khasi

SHILLONG, NOV 10: The teachers’ community is also against the move of MBOSE to make Khasi (MIL) as a “compulsory elective subject” and has demands scrapping of the said notification issued by the board. The decision to oppose was taken at the executive committee zonal meeting of the Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) held recently.

“We demand that Khasi (MIL) should be allow to continue as a compulsory subject and that the notification issued by the MBOSE to make it as a compulsory elective subject should be scrap,” KJDSTA president ED Nongsiang told reporters at a news conference on Monday.

The teachers also said MBOSE has also failed to consult the stakeholders including teachers in notifications it had issued earlier. “We are very disappointed with the attitude of the board by not taking the views and opinions of the stakeholders concerned on important notifications,” Nongsiang said.

Nongsiang also said the teachers have threatened that if the board continues to adopt such policy, they will be compelled to stage non-cooperation protest against the board.“Issuing of notifications concerning the education system without proper consultation is wrong,” he added.

In a notification issued on September 5, 2013, “the MBOSE has decided to allow the students to have a choice to choose MIL as a compulsory elective subject as part of its proposal to change the existing structure and scheme of studies for the HSSLC examinations.”

Earlier, English and Khasi (MIL) were compulsory subjects at the High Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) level.

Nongsiang said the decision of the board to give importance to a foreign language – English as a compulsory subject and instead pushed Khasi the local language of the region as a secondary subject by making it optional is something which is ironic to say,” Nongsiang lamented.

Nongsiang said they feel that making Khasi as optional for students is just the beginning of endangering the Khasi language.

According to Nongsiang while the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) of the centre is stressing upon the need to preserve local languages then why is it that the MBOSE is trying to find out ways and means to dilute this objective.

Earlier, the MBOSE had also claimed that all heads of Institutions were well informed and made aware of the board’s proposal to change the existing structure and scheme of studies for the HSSLC examinations through its notification.

Nongsiang, however, alleged that most of the schools especially those where they are teaching in is yet to know about the notification.  “Most of the schools in the state are yet to know about the notification of the board. Those schools which we are teaching in have not made any announcement for its implementation till today,” he claimed.- By Our Reporter