ITANAGAR, 16 Sep: The Arunachal Civil Society (ACS) has raised strong objection to the government’s sanctioning of 75 posts of language teachers, exclusively for Bhoti language, alleging preferential treatment to a particular language and step-motherly treatment of other indigenous languages.
As per the department’s notification dated 28 November, 2023, the ACS stated, the government has sanctioned 75 posts of language teachers, exclusively for the Bhoti language.
“While the ACS appreciates the concern shown by the department towards the preservation and promotion of the Bhoti language, we strongly object to the discriminatory attitude reflected in this policy decision,” the society wrote in a letter to the education minister on Monday.
Stating that the decision to exclusively sanction teachers for the Bhoti language amounts to sidelining and marginalizing the rest of the indigenous linguistic groups, the society urged the education minister to put on hold the recruitment process for the Bhoti language teachers until equal opportunity is provided to other indigenous languages.
“This selective approach will not only create resentment among the other tribes but also erode the faith of the people in the government’s commitment to inclusiveness and equal treatment.”
“In case recruitment has already been carried out, withhold the release of salary and service benefits of the Bhoti language teachers until the recruitment of teachers for other indigenous languages is also completed,” it said.
The ACS demanded that the education minister immediately issue a notification for recruitment of language teachers from other indigenous tribes and sub-tribes to ensure equal protection and promotion of all languages of Arunachal Pradesh.
It expressed hope that the government would act promptly to ensure justice, equality, and inclusiveness in the matter of indigenous language preservation. It further stated that failing to address this issue would compel the society to resort to democratic movements and mobilize public opinion against such discriminatory practices.
The ACS said that Arunachal Pradesh is home to at least 26 major tribes and more than 100 sub-tribes, each with its own unique dialect, culture, and tradition. “The preservation of these indigenous languages is equally important for safeguarding the identity, heritage, and unity of our state,” it said.
The ACS alleged that no serious effort has been made by the government to recruit dedicated teachers for these languages, except for preparing a few textbooks for certain languages.
