Himanta Biswa Sarma Orders Defunct Madrassas be Converted to Regular Schools

Guwahati: Assam's chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, issued an order on Tuesday to begin the transition of disbanded Madrassas to regular schools as soon as possible.

The previous BJP-led administration enacted legislation to transform all government-run Madrassas into upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools.

In the presence of Education Minister Ranoj Pegu and Finance Minister Ajanta Neog, Sarma conducted a thorough review of the Education Department's operations with officials from the department in a meeting, emphasising the importance of developing the basic fundamentals of school governance in order to provide quality education to students in a holistic manner.

The Chief Minister directed to strictly enforce Transfer and Posting of Teachers as per the terms of the "Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teacher (Regulation of Posting and Transfer Act) 2020," stating that the education sector will be given top priority and that all employees of the Education Department must dedicate themselves to the overall upliftment of the education sector.

The Chief Minister also ordered that instructors be recruited on a priority basis, particularly at provincialized and government institutions, and that periodic gaps be filled, while urging officials to quickly begin the process of transferring defunct Madrassas to general schools.

He also asked that the department allow Heads of Institutions the authority to fill vacancies on a need-based basis on a regular and timely basis. The Chief Minister also suggested developing separate recruitment boards for Polytechnic and Engineering institutes to help fill vacancies quickly.

The Chief Minister also recommended that positions be made in newly constructed improved schools in Tea Garden areas which the PWD had finished building, as well as the operationalization of new Model Schools and the development of a teacher retention programme.

Furthermore, the Chief Minister directed that the recruitment of College Teachers be a constant process, and that civil construction deficits uncovered during "Gunotsav" be swiftly filled. He requested that Gunutsav be held in 2022 by the department.

The Chief Minister also ordered the formation and recruitment of administrative and other jobs for the newly formed Districts and Education Blocks, as well as the streamlining of free text book distribution to ensure timely availability of free text books and the development of e-text by the Assam Text Book Production and Publication Corporation Limited.

The Chief Minister also urged officials to ensure that all newly provincialized Teachers and Tutors receive their salaries by June 1st, and that any pending Scooty distribution is completed by June 15th this year.

The Chief Minister also requested the Education Department to look at bringing all of the contract teachers at the elementary level under one umbrella, which might be the Directorate of Elementary Education.

Also Read: Assam Government's Bureaucratic Reshuffle, 20 Changes Made, Full List Here

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