Under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) here has trained 696 teachers in tribal and third languages as part of a significant push towards multilingual education. The orientation program was held in 17 batches between May 9 and August 22, with five days of instruction for each group. The program sought to improve students’ ties to their mother tongues while empowering educators to use tribal languages in the classroom. Instruction was provided in fourteen tribal languages, including Nyishi, Tagin, Galo, Apatani, Tangsa, Wancho, Aka (Hrusso), Kaman Mishmi, Taraon Mishmi, Singpho, Idu Mishmi, Adi, Tai-Khamti, and Tutsa.
The lessons were planned in cooperation with community-based organizations (CBOs), who enhanced the training by contributing cultural insights in addition to facilitating the teaching of their various languages. Toko Babu, the SCERT director and deputy commissioner for the Itanagar Capital Region (ICR), emphasized the significance of the program by stating that the training would help preserve indigenous languages for future generations and open the door for successful tribal language instruction in the classroom.
