On Wednesday, more than 25 social organisations, including the top literary organization Asam Sahitya Sabha and the powerful students’ union AASU, said that they will begin a series of agitations against a number of state government policies involving the education sector. After a meeting with more than 20 indigenous groups, apex literary body Asam Sahitya Sabha, All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) and All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) warned the government to stay away from the medium of schools.
The four organisations said in a joint statement that they had addressed a variety of topics, including ending provincial nation, beginning dual-mode instruction in mathematics and science in class three, and opening one English-medium CBSE school in each constituency. Additionally, they talked about the difficulties experienced by vernacular medium schools, such as poor facilities, a lack of teachers, and the closure of institutions “in the name of amalgamation”. “All of these decisions, which the Assam cabinet authorised, were fiercely opposed by the NGOs. These are unreasonable, unscientific, and narrow-minded. These choices will kill vernacular medium schools and push mother languages to the brink of extinction “Added they.
The groups will not accept the decisions of the Assam government and these were all against the National Education Policy, the statement claimed. “The Assam government has to leave its adamant nature. We request the government to reconsider all these decisions as soon as possible,” it added.
The four convenor groups will make the agitational programmes public after the upcoming Durga Puja festival, according to a resolution adopted during the meeting. The groups also planned to host an educational conference where notable figures will be invited to discuss the problems. Nine opposition political parties—Congress, CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), Assam Jatiya Parishad, Jatiya Dal-Asom, Raijor Dal, NCP, and RJD—announced a sit-in for September 28 in Guwahati to protest a number of state government policies pertaining to the Education Department earlier in the day. The parties attacked the Assam government for its actions and claimed that the BJP-led coalition is attempting to privatise schools.
The Assam Cabinet determined on July 28 that starting in Class 3 in all government and provincialized Assamese and other vernacular medium schools, Mathematics and Science will be taught in English. Additionally, it approved the adoption of a dual language curriculum in state-run Assamese and vernacular schools for Classes 6 through 12. All of the opposition political parties, significant student organisations, notably the ABVP, leading literary organisations, and several social groups protested the decisions, which caused a significant uproar. The Education Department merged 1,710 schools across the state with neighbouring institutions in August. Although the opposition termed this exercise as a closing down of the schools, the government said these were merged with others for better infrastructure management and to improve the teacher-student ratio.
