Assam converts 278 schools to mother tongue medium

Guwahati: The Assam government will convert 278 Lower Primary schools into Dimasa Medium institutions starting from the 2025–26 academic session, a move aimed at safeguarding and promoting the Dimasa language.

According to an official notification from the Department of School Education (E.No. 632888/79), these schools will teach children in Dimasa at the foundational level, ensuring that students from the Dimasa community can learn in their mother tongue during their early years.

The government stated that this initiative, introduced “in the interest of the public in general and for preserving and promoting the Dimasa language,” will officially make Dimasa the medium of instruction in the designated schools.

Initially, the program will cover schools under the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC), with plans to expand to other areas where Dimasa-speaking populations are significant.

Officials, including the Director of Elementary Education, the Director of SCERT, and the Mission Director of Samagra Shiksha Assam, have been tasked with implementing and monitoring the transition smoothly.

Education specialists have welcomed the initiative, calling it a landmark step toward linguistic inclusion and cultural preservation in Assam. They say it underscores the government’s commitment to promoting education in the state’s indigenous languages.