Shillong: A secondary school in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district was shut down on Wednesday by local authorities and members of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) for allegedly failing to introduce Khasi as a subject.
The action was taken against Madan Hindi Patshala Secondary School in the Madanrting area following complaints that the absence of Khasi language teaching was preventing students from appearing for the subject in matriculation examinations.
According to sources, the local headman and village secretary, accompanied by KSU leaders, visited the school and sought clarification from the principal.
After confirming that Khasi was not being offered, they entered classrooms, asked students to disperse for the day, and directed the institution to suspend operations.
The group also warned that the school could face permanent closure if the demand to introduce Khasi as a subject is not met.
Village authorities said they had raised the issue with the school’s managing committee last year, urging it to include Khasi in the curriculum.
They claimed the committee had given a written assurance to introduce the subject from the current academic session but failed to follow through.
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KSU members and village leaders argued that the absence of Khasi places students at a disadvantage, particularly in meeting local language requirements in board examinations, as mentioned in a report.
They said the decision to shut the school was taken after repeated follow-ups with the management yielded no results.
The development comes amid a recent state government notification making proficiency in local languages mandatory for recruitment under the District Selection Committee, requiring candidates to clear a qualifying paper in the respective language.
School authorities have not yet issued an official response to the incident.
