Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, 8 June, announced that admission to universities, colleges and higher secondary schools in Assam will be free during the 2020-21 academic year to ensure that there is no additional burden to parents directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent nationwide lockdown. The minister stated that “there will be no hidden cost”.
“Students from the higher secondary to the postgraduate level, including medical, engineering and polytechnic students, will be admitted to institutes for free.”Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Education Minister
“All the students must mention their bank details in the admission forms so that the matter can be taken up from the initial stage and there is no delay in depositing money in their bank accounts,” he said.
“The Assam Education Department will also pay Rs 1,000 as monthly mess dues for those staying in hostels and an additional amount of Rs 1,000 to all students for buying textbooks.”Himanta Biswa Sarma, Assam Education Minister
Students who passed the Class 10 examinations last year will be given computers in their school and those who have cleared the test this year will get Rs 20,000 so that they can buy computers of their choice, Sarma said.
Inter-District Transfer of Teachers Restricted
The state government has brought a Bill seeking to restrict inter-district transfer of teachers for 12 years. According to the provisions of the Bill, there will be a computer-based transfer policy with an initial lockdown period of 12 years. However, transfers within the district will be allowed.
Another Bill has been introduced seeking to make Assamese a compulsory subject from Class 1 to 10 in all schools in the state, with similar provisions with regard to Bengali in Barak Valley districts and Bodo in Bodoland Territorial Region.
The state government has also decided to provide the benefits of regular pay scale to 29,701 teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), 11,206 contractual state pool teachers and 5,243 high school contractual teachers at par with educators in government schools.
“These teachers will continue to be in service till 60 years of age, get regular pay-scale, leave and medical benefits along with other facilities that regular government teachers get,” Sarma said.
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