Demanding the withdrawal of the Assam government's decision to teach Science and Mathematics in English in vernacular schools in the state from Class III onwards, President of the Raijor Dal, Akhil Gogoi, staged a sit-in protest outside the state Secretariat in Guwahati on Wednesday, August 3.
News agency PTI reported that Gogoi was joined by other members of the party, including Working President Bhasco De Saikia. The protest site was a footpath beneath the statue of Dr BR Ambedkar on the Secretariat premises. The MLA demanded that a special session of the Assam Assembly be convened to discuss these issues. He also urged the state government to include all stakeholders in a special convention to discuss the issue.
"The decisions to impart education in English in vernacular schools and not provincialising any schools in future are directly related to the future of the Assamese society," said Gogoi, according to PTI. He added, "Protests will take place across the state if our demand is not met. We want the state government to follow the National Education Policy, which emphasises the spread of local languages."
Gogoi mentioned the recent statement by the state's Health Minister, Keshab Mahanta, in which he said that books for medical courses were being prepared in Assamese for the benefit of the students.
He questioned the government on this probable duality in policy and said, "What type of government is this? On one hand, it is gearing up to teach Medical and Engineering courses in Assamese, but at the same time, turning towards English for Mathematics and Science for school students."
In fact, the government's decision to impart education in English in schools had drawn in the ire of other Opposition parties, such as the Congress and Assam Jatiya Parishad. It was on July 28 that the cabinet of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma declared that Mathematics and Science will be taught in English from Class III onwards in all government, provincialised Assamese and other vernacular medium schools from the next academic year.
The BJP-led Assam government had earlier said that provincialisation of schools and colleges will be stopped, while selected high schools currently under the State Board will be transferred to the CBSE. In 2017, the Assam government, which was also led by the BJP had passed the Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Reorganisation of Educational Institutions) Act, which transferred all venture schools under the case of the government. Provincialisation means taking over all liabilities of a non-government school, which was established with the sole purpose of imparting education to serve society, for payment of salaries and other benefits to the teachers.
The decision to stop the process of provincialisation led to literary and student organisations in Assam demanding that the state government immediately withdraw its decisions. The leadership of Asam Sahitya Sabha (ASS), Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS), All Assam Students' Union (AASU) and All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) decided to submit a joint memorandum to the chief minister with their demand for revoking the decisions.
According to PTI, the four groups also expressed their opposition to the introduction of the dual medium in government schools, stopping of provincialisation of educational institutions and shifting the State Board schools to CBSE. Another student body, Satra Mukti Sangram Samiti (SMSS), also expressed its opposition to these decisions of the government.
