Report/Mizoram : Let us Teach Hindi

The 1,305 Hindi teachers, recruited under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme about six years back to teach Hindi in Mizoram, run from pillar to post to get justice after their services were discontinued in February last

Pramod Kumar
New Delhi: Hindi, as a language, is believed to connect hearts. But in Mizoram, 1,305 Hindi teachers, committed to the promotion of Hindi in adverse circumstances for the last six years, have been struggling hard to save their jobs. Recruited in 2011 under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) to teach Hindi in the schools of the State, the services of these teachers were discontinued by State Government in February this year. Since then they are meeting the authorities in the State and the national capital, New Delhi, but found no solace.
The State Government tells them to contact the Centre, as they were working under the CSS, but nobody at the Centre listens to them. They were recruited under ‘Scheme of Financial Assistance for Appointment and Training of Hindi Teachers in Non-Hindi Speaking States/UTs’.
After losing hopes, these teachers, under the banner of Rashtriya Chakma Tribal Sangh (RCTS), approached Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on July 3 and sought his urgent intervention in the matter. They demanded immediate recruitment of all the existing 1,305 Hindi teachers and continue their services in schools across Mizoram under Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS). The delegation also submitted a copy of the memorandum to Union Minster of Human Resources and Development (HRD) Prakash Javedkar seeking his intervention in the matter.
According to Dhana Kumar Chakma, organising secretary of the RCTS, the Hindi teachers were teaching Hindi in the entire State with the objective of national integration and connecting the people of Mizoram with rest of the country. But in February 2017, their services were suddenly discontinued by the State Government. The State Government has indirectly been opposing the promotion of Hindi. And now under the excuse of financial burden on the State Exchequer it discontineud their services. Ever since the State Government discontinued their services no action has been taken by the Central authorities too. “These Hindi teachers are now at that stage of their life when they cannot get any other Government job. Since they have been dedicated to the cause of Hindi promotion and thought about no other profession they are now, after losing their jobs, finding it difficult to manage their families,” added Shri Chakma.
A delegation of RCTS called on Mizoram Chief Minister Lalthanhavala on June 28 and requested him to continue their services. But the CM shifted entire responsibility to the Centre saying they were recruited under the CSS. He said if the Centre decides to reinstrate them the State Government would think of taking some teachers back. The CM indicated that even if the Centre decides to continue their  services the State Government would not take back all the teachers. If this happens this will be a great injustice to the teachers. The delegation specifically requested the HRD Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar to allow the services of all the teachers.
It needs no elaboration that Mizoram is among the non-Hindi speaking states. The experiment of promoting Hindi through CSS has worked well and today the number of Hindi speaking people has increased substantially in the State. Not only this, the cultural and emotional bonds have also strengthened. It has also brought the Mizos and non-Mizos closer. The people of Mizoram who visit other parts of the country after learning Hindi find it easy to communicate with others.
Now if the Central Government decides not to continue the CSS for Hindi promotion, it will not only make these 1,305 Hindi teachers jobless, but will disappoint the people of Mizoram and other non-Hindi speaking states who desire to learn Hindi.