Amid the raging, mostly negative, over the Centre’s decision to ensure that Hindi is taught in all North East states until Class 10, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma tried to see the positives today.
Last week Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for a greater push for Hindi in communication between the states and the people, as well as making it compulsory in North East schools until Class 10.
Today, Sangma said that there has been no official word from the Centre on how it proposes to go about implementing its decision. He also saw blanket opposition to Hindi as unhelpful but wanted greater emphasis on local language learning as well.
Speaking to reporters today, the CM said that there is a clear benefit in learning Hindi and English or any new language.
“I think language learning is something that gives you accessibility. When it comes to the world market in terms of employment, English is very important so one has to be proficient in English,” he said. “When it comes to the national level, we have to realise that Hindi is the largest spoken language throughout the country and so it’s an advantage for our youngsters to be able to learn a new language like Hindi.”
Sangma also highlighted Shah’s statement that mother tongues will always be a high priority and called for the central government to create and fund institutes to promote local languages.
“While keeping our own culture and language at top priority and ensuring that there is more research done on it, it is good if children can learn English, Hindi and even Japanese or other foreign languages. It is positive to learn and it helps them in the future in terms of job opportunities,” Sangma said.
