HT Correspondent
HOWRAGHAT, Feb 21: The Karbi Anglong District Bodo Sahitya Sabha (KADBS) in collaboration with its primary units has launched an extensive educational awareness campaign across the district. The initiative comes at a critical time as Bodo-medium primary schools in the region face the threat of closure.
Despite the Bodo language being recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the state of Bodo-medium education in Karbi Anglong has become increasingly precarious. According to organisers, the primary cause of this decline is a shifting trend among parents: Many parents are choosing to enroll their children in English-medium or Assamese-medium private institutions. This shift has led to a drastic reduction in student numbers in government Bodo-medium schools, pushing many to the verge of extinction.
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This situation has sparked deep concern among community leaders and intellectuals, who argue that the survival of the language at the grassroots level depends entirely on the health of primary education.
To combat this trend, a series of awareness meetings have been organised across various villages to educate parents on the importance of preserving their mother tongue through formal schooling.
On February 14, meetings were held in four villages under the Howraghat area: Dumukhi Jaljuri, South Borganga, No 1 Kaligaon and No 3 Kaligaon. On February 19, the campaign reached the Howraghat Tiniali area, covering Gorjoga and Chunpura villages. On Friday, a simultaneous drive was conducted in four locations within the Langhin area: Phatikjan, Goroimari, Itapara and Dhupguri.
The meetings saw active participation from prominent Bodo Sahitya Sabha officials across the four venues. Phatikjan was attended by Mogez Narzary, Subhash Basumatary, Daoharu Khakhlari, Dinesh Daimary and Nakul Chandra Brahma. At Dhupguri, the meeting was attended by Rituraj Basumatary, Bistiram Daimary, Sonaram Basumatary, Madan Chandra Swargiary and Tanuram Daimary. Goroimari was attended by Nirmal Basumatary, Kalyan Rabha Brahma, Khagen Goyary, Rajaram Basumatary and at Itapara, the meeting was attended by Sumeshwar Basumatary, Ranjit Khakhlari, Dalsing Basumatary and Tulendra Khakhlari.
The speakers at these events emphasised that while learning multiple languages is beneficial, abandoning the mother tongue during foundational years could lead to a cultural and linguistic identity crisis for the next generation.
