All schools in Assam will have Assamese as a compulsory subject till Class 10. And henceforth, state government jobs will only go to candidates who have learnt the language till Class 10. According to Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, this new rule will apply throughout the state, except the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts (BTAD) and the three Barak Valley districts. However, in these areas, Bengali and Bodo will be made compulsory, for which rules will be implemented soon.
A bill will be presented in the Assembly to bring this rule into practice during the budget session.
It is reported that about Rs 3,000 crore will be invested in revamping the education infrastructure of Assam. Many vacancies for teachers — 1500 at the elementary level and 8000 at the secondary level—will be filled by July. About 30 new colleges will be provincialized and about 900 regular non-teaching and teaching staff will be appointed. Approx. 100 high schools will be set up in the tea garden areas, and many high schools will be upgraded to higher secondary schools. That is not all. While four sets of uniforms will be distributed to each of the students of classes one to eight, two sets will be provided to those studying in classes nine to ten.
By July all issues pertaining to the salaries, pay scales, tenure, and medical reimbursements of about 42,000 teachers employed under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will be resolved.
