NEW EDUCATION POLICY
Five new government-run model colleges to start functioning in the State from August 4
BY OUR STAFF REPORTER
Guwahati, July 31: In a development that promises to have significant bearing on the education sector, the Assam government on Monday announced a new education policy putting total restriction on setting up of venture schools at public initiative in the State.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, State Education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said there has been a tendency, rather a tradition, in the State in recent years to set up venture schools at the drop of a hat at different locations. Such mushrooming of schools has an adverse impact on quality education and thus the government has decided to do away with the “tradition” of setting up of venture schools, he said.
Sarma said on many instances it has been found that the sole objective of setting up venture schools was to apply for provincialisation and get benefits from the government. “As per the new education policy, government will set up all future educatiol institutes wherever there is a necessity,” he said.
The Education Minister said 5 new government-run model colleges will start functioning from August 4 at Behali in Sonitpur district, Dalgaon in Darrang district , Karimganj, Bongaigaon and Goalpara districts. These colleges with hostel facility have been constructed at the cost of Rs 9 crore each received from the Centre. The government will appoint 105 teachers on August 4 to run these colleges. While construction of another 5 government run model colleges is under way, the government will start construction of similar institutions next year. All these colleges will be med after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.
Assam currently has only four government colleges — Cotton College, Diphu College, Haflong College and Kokrajhar College, of which Cotton College has been transformed into a university recently.
Sarma said classes of 11 new polytechnics will start from September this year and the government will accordingly appoint teachers to run these institutes. He further said the government will hand over appointment letters to 626 headmasters and 146 assistant headmasters in high schools across the State on August 7.
“This will address a long pending issue of running high schools without any permanent headmaster,” he said.
On the other hand, Sarma said 124 retired teachers will be appointed as special inspectors in as many schools, where pass percentage in last HSLC examition was in between 0 to 3 per cent. He said reputed retired teachers will be appointed as special inspectors who will regularly send reports about academic functioning of the schools to the Education Department as well as suggest measures for improvement. After six months, a high level committee will visit these schools to improve their academic performance, he added.
Responding to the issue of the ongoing confrontation between the present and former Vice Chancellors of KK Handique State Open University over the issue of alleged corruption, Sarma said the development is just another instance of the present mess in the field of education in the State.