AASU lambasts Education Dept

GUWAHATI, Dec 1 – The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today lambasted the State Education Department for its lack of preparedness to cater to the needs of lakhs of students after the imminent separation of Higher Secondary classes from the colleges of the State. The students’ body today presented a sample survey report indicating the shortage of seats to accommodate the surplus HS students.

As per the UGC stricture, the colleges need to separate the HS section from their domain and introduce semester system for the degree courses to ensure quality education in colleges.

AASU’s sample survey conducted in 21 districts of the State in 1043 prominent educational institutions including colleges, junior colleges and HS schools shows that if Higher Secondary segment is separated from the colleges, there would an immediate requirement 63,734 HS seats.

The survey was conducted in the months of August, September and October of the year 2010.

“As the colleges of the State would have to implement the UGC norms in a phased manner, the State Education Department should have started preparing for it much earlier. With no infrastructure in place and shortage of teachers in the schools and colleges, lakhs of our HS students would have to face difficulties in enrollment,” AASU advisor Samujjal Bhattacharyya said, while addressing the media today.

“Though a lot of junior colleges have come up in the State recently, maximum number of our students studying in government schools would not be in a position to pay the fees of these private institutions,” he added.

The sample survey also indicates that 543 out of the total 1043 institutions surveyed do not have permanent principals. Total 1,424 posts of teachers are vacant in these institutions. Moreover, the management committees of 350 institutions have persons with political background as their members.

“The AASU warned the State Government in December, 2009 after surveying 60 educational institutions of Guwahati. But unfortunately the government did not take any step to build infrastructure or appoint teachers for HS level education in the State. Government’s apathy would spoil the future of lakhs of students of Assam,” Bhattacharyya added.