Gasuapara, Feb 3: The Meghalaya Koch Association has sought the intervention of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma for preservation and promotion of their language in the state and development of the Koch human resource index in the state.
The community submitted a memorandum to the chief minister during their 54th annual conference at Jatrakona in South Garo Hills on Saturday.
Appreciating the series of welfare activities going on in the state, the Meghalaya Koch Association sought the introduction of Koch language in place of Assamese or Bengali as the medium of instruction in the Lower and Upper Primary Schools of their inhabited villages.
This demand raised by the indigenous organisation was in line of the New Education Policy that has directed to focus on a students mother tongue to be his or her medium of instruction, until they reach the eight standard as per section 29(F) of chapter V under the Right to Education Act. 2009.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, while addressing the gathering at the conference, assured the community that the government will consider to include the Koch language in the state.
The memorandum further sought financial grant from the Meghalaya Government to enable for building career counseling centres in koch villages for developing human resources of the community from the Hilly State.
Putting emphasis on the fact that the Koches are one of the most backward indigenous minority tribes of Meghalaya with an equally low literacy rate of around fifty four percent, the Koch Association sought financial assistance and facilitation to organize coaching centre for Para-Military Forces’ recruitment in the state. Demands were also raised to increase the reservation percentage of the indigenous minority tribes to atleast fifteen percent, to benefit their youngsters for government job recruitment as per the state’s reservation policy.
