Local language test made mandatory for district-level recruitment in Meghalaya

The Meghalaya government has made knowledge of the local language compulsory for recruitment to all posts under the District Selection Committees, tightening eligibility norms for district-level appointments.

Personnel Department Commissioner and Secretary C V D Diengdoh said on January 13 that the decision follows an earlier office memorandum and requires candidates to clear a qualifying paper in the local language of the district where the post is located.

Candidates seeking posts in the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills districts will have to write and comprehend Khasi, while those applying in the Garo Hills districts must qualify in Garo. “It is mandatory for a candidate applying for all categories of posts which fall under the purview of the district selection committee to clear a qualifying paper on knowledge of the local language of a particular district,” the memorandum issued on Monday stated.

Under the new arrangement, five districts in the Khasi Hills and two districts in the Jaintia Hills region will frame a syllabus that makes grammar and composition in Khasi compulsory. The remaining five districts in the Garo Hills will prescribe a paper in the Garo language.

Officials said the language paper will be qualifying in nature, but clearing it is essential to be considered eligible. “The objective is to ensure that personnel recruited at the district level are able to effectively communicate with the local population and discharge their duties more efficiently,” a Personnel Department official said.

The syllabus for the local language paper comes into force with immediate effect and will apply to all future recruitment processes conducted by District Selection Committees across Meghalaya.

The move follows a Cabinet decision last month approving the Education Department’s proposal to make Khasi and Garo mandatory in the early classes across the state, signalling a broader push to strengthen local language use in public administration and education.