School provincialization hope fulfilled, 3 Bills passed

School provincialization hope fulfilled, 3 Bills passed

Staff Reporter

Guwahati, April 6: The Assam Assembly on Friday passéd three crucial Bills pertaining to education – the Assam Madrassa Education (Provincialization of Services of Employees & Reorganization of Madrassa Educatiol Institutions) Bill 2018, the Assam Education (Provincialization of Services of Non-teaching Staff of Venture Educatiol Institutions) Bill 2018, and the Assam Education (Provincialization of Services of Teachers and Reorganization of Educatiol Institutions) (Amendment) Bill 2018.

The bills were passed after a huge round of debate in the House with the opposition MLAs moving several amendments to the bills. Now that the bills have been passed, if there is any venture school that had cleared either recognition or permission or concurrence from the Education Department until January 1, 2006, it will be provincialized in accordance with the new laws.

During the debate on the bills, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "It has come to our notice that some officials had issued orders for permission/concurrence in 2008 to some venture schools, but the orders were with effect from January 1, 2006 even though they were signed two years later. This is suspicious. How is it possible? There must have been some manipulation. Therefore our government has decided to file cases against such officials." These officials had signed the orders after their retirement, he added.

According to the minister, school provincialization is not a need as of now but has been considered only out of humanitarian concern. "We'll face an additiol burden of Rs 600 crore due to such provincilization. So we'll be forced to apply cess on certain items. If the burden is between Rs 200 crore and Rs 300 crore, there will be no such cess. The public will have to also take some burden because it is not a necessary investment but a humanitarian one," he said.

Sarma also said the State government will come up with a bill to make free education free of cost in non-government schools for students from Class IX to Class XII belonging to BPL (below poverty line) families in addition to the existing free education for them from Class I to Class VIII under the Right to Education Act.

The two-month -ong Assembly session was adjourned sine die on Friday.

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