Nagaland to introduce local dialects in schools from 2018

With the introduction of local Naga dialects in schools, Alternative English would be abolished in a phased manner starting from Class V from 2018, and Classes VI to VIII from 2019 in all schools in the state, the notification said. Nagaland has 16 major tribes apart from numerous sub-tribes, each having its own unique language.

In urban areas, Naga Heritage Studies would be particularly introduced in addition to the local languages, for non-local students who do not the linguistic group of the local area, the notification said. The decision was taken on the basis of recommendations made by a committee that the state government had appointed to examine implementation of the three-language policy and prepare modalities for introduction of modern Indian languages and local dialects in schools in Nagaland.

The committee in its findings noted that though various Naga languages figured in the list of endangered languages, a survey conducted by SCERT found out that many Naga children were not able to speak their mother tongue and communicate with each other in Nagamese or English even at home.

Stating that every child should be encouraged and given opportunity to learn his or her mother tongue in schools, the committee recommended that all schools, both government and private, should introduce local language of the linguistic area where the school was located. This should be done up to the primary or elementary level depending upon the level of the development of the local language starting from Class I in schools where the local language has not yet been introduced from the academic session of 2018, it said.

Every school will introduce at least one local language in the school. However, depending on the enrollment, schools are at a liberty to introduce more languages other than the language of the local linguistic area, the notification said.

Encouraging all Naga tribes and sub-tribes to develop text books and introduce their mother tongues up to the elementary education, the notification however said all the existing text books of local languages being used in different classes should be reviewed and updated strictly in conformity with an approved curriculum for mother tongue to be developed by SCERT Nagaland.