The Garo Baptist Convention (GBC) has expressed its disappointment over exclusion of Garo or A-chik language from the tentative list of 38 languages to be incorporated in the Eight Schedule notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs recently.
Urging both the central and state government to seriously consider aspirations of Garo people in this regard, the GBC said, “The demand for inclusion of Garo language in the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India is a long pending call and legitimate, Garo Baptist Convention urges the government of India and the government of Meghalaya to consider urgently reviewing and amending the recently released list and include the Garo or A chik language in revised list.”
In a press statement, GBC said, Garo language and literature have evolved over time and are spoken by about 1.5 million people in Northeast India and primarily in the five districts of the state of Meghalaya. Overall, about 33% of the population of Meghalaya speak Garo or A-chik language. On the academic front, the language has reached doctoral study level and thousands of students pursue their studies in Garo language.