KOKRAJHAR, Jan 8: Seeking a resolution for immediate solutions on the long pending educational related issues and grievances of the Bodo community, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) staged a three-hour sit-in demonstration in all district headquarters across the state of Assam on Wednesday.
In Kokrajhar, the sit-in demonstration strike was held at the Bodofa Children’s Park, JD Road where thousands of students’ union activists, members and well wishers representing different social organisations participated with holding banner, placards etc, and demanded immediate solutions to the issues and problems of the Bodo community.
The sit-in demonstration was organised by the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) of Kokrajhar district committee, and supported by various social organisations including the Bodo Sahitya Sabha, Bodo Samaj, Harimu Afad, All Assam Tribal Sangha, All BTR Venture Senior Secondary School Employees’ Association.
Related Posts:
The protest demonstration started from 11 am and continued till 2 pm that highlighted their demand of the solutions to the issues and problems of the Bodo medium related educational environment.
A memorandum was submitted to the chief minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma through the district commissioner, Kokrajhar seeking immediate solutions to the issues and problems of the educational related and problems of the Bodo community.
The demand includes inclusion of Bodo in Key Examinations; recognition of Bodo as a subject in the Assam Judicial Service Exams and as Language I in the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET).
The students union demanded infrastructure developments which include establishment of 35 new Bodo-medium model high schools and upgrading 101 high schools to higher secondary status, along with teacher recruitment.
The students’ union demanded provincialisation of the educational institutions through the implementation of Clause 6.3 of the BTR Peace Accord for provincialisation of venture schools across the state.
The students’ union also demanded recruitment of educational staff to have the better welfare and upliftment of the educational environment and said that appointment of academic officers, translators, lecturers, and teachers for Bodo-medium institutions and related departments.
“Introduction of Bodo in Model Degree Colleges in Baksa, Dhudnoi, and Balipara, and distribution of Bodo-language educational materials in Anganwadi centers across the region,” the union said.
The students union also sought a support for colleges outside BTR with initiating recruitment of assistant professors for Bodo departments in 10 colleges outside the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).
The students union demanded teacher transfer of teachers of proficient in Bodo to Bodo-medium schools across the state.
“In a decisive move to address the long-pending educational demands of the Bodo community and highlight the Government of Assam’s failure to prioritise these issues, the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) carried out state-wide sit-in demonstration today at every district headquarters in Assam in a peaceful protest”, the students union leaders said.
“Despite numerous representations, dialogues with concerned government departments and officials, and repeated assurances made by the government in various meetings and sittings, the educational demands of the Bodo community remain long pending and have not been given due importance or priority, and accordingly the students union and several social organisations have staged the sit in demonstration “, the students union leaders added.
In Chirang, the ABSU and several social organisation members, workers and well wishers have thronged at the demonstration and demanded immediate solutions on the issues and problems of the Bodo medium related educational environment across the state.
