A Small-Scale Survey on the Teaching and Learning of Ao through Nagamese in the Multilingual Context of Mokokchung

AbstractThis paper investigates the preference for Nagamese as the language of learning and classroom transaction by learners and teachers rather than a common indigenous language in Ao (a Naga tribal language) language classrooms in government primary schools in Mokokchung district of Nagaland. Nagamese is neither a state-recognised language nor a dominant indigenous language. However, in state government schools, where English is the official medium of instruction, non-Ao speaking children as well as teachers prefer Nagamese for classroom transactions. They also prefer to learn the Ao language through Nagamese, despite the fact that Nagamese does not share syntactic and grammatical features with Ao or any other indigenous Naga languages. The use of Nagamese for classroom transactions does not come under the purview of the NEP 2020’s Three Language Formula, and is thus a pertinent subject of study within multilingual education.