Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu allays fears over medium of instruction

Ready to discuss issues with AASU, AXX & others

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Assam's Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said on Thursday that the State Government is ready to discuss the issues of medium of instruction of Science and Mathematics classes, as well as conduct of parallel classes in the English medium in various schools, with all stakeholders.

Talking to the media here after chairing a review meeting of all the Inspectors of Schools and District Elementary Education Officers of the State, Pegu said that panic has been unnecessarily created over the issue of medium of instruction from class-III to class-XII and holding of parallel English-medium classes in certain Government and provincialized schools.

"We have already invited the AASU (All Assam Students' Union) and 26 other organizations for discussions in the regard. We will discuss the matter with the Axam Xahitya Xabha and the sahitya sabhas of various indigenous communities, apart from various intellectuals of the State," Pegu said.

Pegu said that the Government does not intend to close even a single vernacular medium school and it is instead taking steps to protect the mother tongues of Assam. He asserted that students will be benefited at the higher secondary and graduation levels if they are taught Mathematics and Science in the English medium during their schooldays. He said that with a view to promoting vernacular languages, the Government is focusing on teaching History and Geography in the mother tongue. As a result, the students will simultaneously learn both English and their mother tongues, he added.

Regarding teaching of the MBBS course in Assamese, the Education Minister said that although the NEP 2020 envisages imparting of higher education in the mother tongue, the matter is at a preliminary stage under the purview of the Director of Medical Education.

Earlier, during his address at the review meeting, the Education Minister instructed the officers to encourage the students regarding the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign which the nation is celebrating in connection to the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. He also discussed about setting up of Adarsha Vidyalayas in every Legislative Assembly Constituency.

The review meeting was attended, among others, by the MD of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Dr Om Prakash, Secretary of Secondary Education Bharat Bhusan Dev Choudhary, Director of Secondary Education Mamta Hojai, Director of Elementary Education Suranjana Senapati.

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