Outright discrimination against Chakmas in Mizoram

By - Paritosh Chakma

There are 71,283 Chakmas in Mizoram, according to the Census of India 2001 which also states that “Chakma has registered the lowest literacy of 45.3 per cent, with male and female literacy at 56.2 per cent and 33.6 per cent respectively.”

The people of Mizoram, including the Chakmas, are proud that Mizoram is the second most literate state in the country and is still improving its record. But honestly there is also nothing to cheer about when it comes to the conditions of the Chakmas who are living outside the jurisdiction of the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC). In these areas, in particular in the border areas near the India-Bangladesh border, education does not receive any importance from the state government of Mizoram. I have myself visited these areas and have seen with my own eyes how difficult it has become to receive education beyond what is being provided under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). There is simply no middle school, not to say of high school. SSA education in the Chakma areas is nothing but only an official record that the state has reached to the masses and the state is progressing towards full literacy.

The goal of education is to make a man with capital letter M, as Swami Vivekananda has said. Education allows one to have a decent job and bring stability, progress to the family and to the society at large. But this is not to happen to the Chakmas of Mizoram, especially for those who are living outside the CADC.

To make the matter worst, the state government of Mizoram, it seems, is determined not to provide government jobs to the Chakmas, the largest minority community in the state. With clear evil design in mind, the state government has framed such rules under which candidates must pass Mizo subject up to Middle school level to qualify for state government jobs. It is needless to say that the representation of the Chakmas in the state services has been very negligible in Mizoram.

I do not doubt of the fact a public servant must be able to communicate in the state language (Mizo in case of Mizoram) to be able to provide better and efficient services to the public. Hence, one may argue that a state government official, even if he is from minority community, must be able to speak in Mizo. I do not debate the merit of this argument.

But the truth lies deeper, which needs proper examination. The state government of Mizoram has passed several Recruitment Rules where “working knowledge of Mizo language at least up to Middle School standard” has been either made a compulsory requirement of educational qualification or as a “desirable qualification”.

The following are just a few of the Recruitment Rules which have provided that Mizo subject is a necessity for qualification for the jobs:

- MizoramPublic Health Engineering Department (Group A' posts) Recruitment Rules, 2008

- Mizoram Public Health Engineering Department (Group B post) Recruitment Rules, 2006

- Mizoram Public Health Engineering Department (Group D post) Recruitment Rules. 2006

- Mizoram Transport Department (Group 'B' post) (Non-Gazetted) Recruitment Rules, 2006.

- Mizoram Industries Department (Group 'B" post) Recruitment Rules, 2006.

- Mizoram Education and Human Resources Department (Group 'C' post) Recruitment Rules, 2007.

- Mizoram Home Guard Department (Group ‘C’ post) Recruitment Rules, 2007

- Mizoram Home Guard Department (Group 'B' posts) Recruitment Rules, 2007

- Mizoram Health & Family Welfare Department (Group 'B' posts) Recruitment Rules, 2008.

Mizoram Rural Development Department (Group 'B' posts) Recruitment Rules, 2008.

- The Mizoram Administrative Training Institute (Group B post) Recruitment Rules, 2008

- The Mizoram Rural Development Department (Technical Wing) Recruitment Rules, 2008

All of these above Recruitment Rules have set “working knowledge of Mizo language at least up to Middle School standard” as a qualification for the job. In cases where this requirement has been mentioned as “desirable qualification” this is just to hoodwink the world because past experiences tell that it is nothing short of an eligibility requirement for the job.

One of my friends was harassed by the Chairperson of the Interview Board when he appeared for the interview for Hindi teacher in 2008. My friend is a graduate in English medium but he had studied in Haryana, which is a Hindi belt and hence is fluent in both speaking and writing Hindi. Even the BSF personnel in his village are awestruck by his ability to speak Hindi so well. Now, you tell me what is that he is lacking to be eligible for Hindi teacher job. But because he did not study Mizo in school it became an obstacle for him.

The interview board in stead of sticking to their mission to judge his Hindi abilities and character to know whether he is suitable for the job, began to question him on his inability to speak Mizo well and for not studying Mizo subject. He was asked to sing a Mizo song and translate into Hindi an old Mizo proverb. He could sing a small Mizo song but could not understand the Mizo proverb (we all know, proverbs in all societies are difficult to understand as they always carry a history with them and a deeper meaning). My friend was almost asked to get out of the room when he annoyed the Chairperson after he answered a question somewhat funnily. The Chairperson asked as to how he (my friend who is a Chakma) will teach the Mizo students if he is appointed in a Mizo village after his selection to the Hindi teacher post. My friend answered this way, “Sir, I shall teach as the Mizo teachers are teaching the Chakma children when posted in Chakma villages”. This angered the interview panel. But my friend was trying to convey a message that the Mizo teachers who are not able to speak or understand Chakma language are not doing justice to their jobs and hence doing injustice to the Chakmas.

Hence, the question is not whether Chakmas should also learn Mizo language (they should definitely learn) but whether or not these Recruitment Rules are discriminatory against the linguistic minorities like the Chakmas.

Article 16 of the Constitution of India provides that -

“(1) There shall be equality of opportunity for all citizens in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State.

(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them, be ineligible for, or discriminated against in respect of, any employment or office under the State.”

The incident I have mentioned above clearly shows that the Chakmas are discriminated in matters of employment on the ground of religion (Chakmas are Buddhists), race, caste, and language.

In other states, of course the state language could be one of “desirable” requirements for the job and the candidates are sometimes specifically given preference in selection based on their ability to read, write and speak the concerned state or regional language if the profile of the job so demands. But in the case of Mizoram it is different and discriminatory. Let me explain.

Most of the Chakma students complete their education (Middle School onwards) outside the state of Mizoram. They study in institutions where the expenses are low and affordable, say in Shillong (for example, Ramakrishna Mission), in different towns of Assam, Kolkata (for example in Bodhicarya School which is a charity institution), in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Mumbai, Mysore (in Hindu and Christian missionary schools) etc.

So, they do not have the opportunity of studying Mizo subject in school because the Mizo as a subject is certainly not taught there. But as per the Recruitment Rules, the candidates must study Mizo subject up to Middle School (or Class VII) standard to qualify for appointment. I wonder how the Mizo students who have done their Middle School studies outside Mizoram qualify for these jobs of Mizoram government.

Legally, by “Working Knowledge of Mizo at least up to Middle School standard” it is meant that one must possess the academic passing certificate of Class VII wherein it is shown that he or she has passed the Mizo subject. Here lies the basic problem.

A Chakma graduate can learn the Mizo language at later stage but it is impossible for him to change his Class VII certificate, can he? Hence, the eligibility criteria should have been ability to speak the Mizo language to the extent that the candidate can communicate with the general public in Mizoram.

The problem also is, the government of Mizoram has failed to introduce the Mizo subject compulsorily in schools in Chakma dominated areas. When laws have been framed, there must be also facility of Mizo teachers teaching the Mizo subjects to the Chakma and other non-Mizo children in schools.

Only if Mizo teachers are appointed to teach the Mizo language in Chakma village schools that the problem could be solved to a large extent. Till then the Chakmas will continue to suffer discrimination because of the wrong policies of the state government towards the minorities in Mizoram.

(To contact the writer of this article, please email him at pchakma@gmail.com. All your views/opinions expressed in this forum or to him directly will be appreciated)