Medium of instruction: ‘Ganaabhasthan dharmagat’ staged in State
HT Correspondent
JORHAT, Aug 17: Along with the rest of the state, the Jorhat district unit of AJYCP on Wednesday staged a sit-in demonstration in front of Jorhat deputy commissioner’s office complex under its ‘Ganaabhasthan dharmagat’ programme to protest against several decisions of the state government announced recently.
Protesters putting up banners and placards sought repeal of the decision of the government to teach Science and Mathematics subjects in English in all government schools from Classes III to XII instead of the present practice of teaching them in Assamese, Bodo or other local languages.
The protesters demanded that teaching medium in government schools be Assamese or the mother tongue of the people of respective areas where the government schools were located.
Appointing teachers for each class in government schools, opening of a science and technical education institute every five kms distance, and providing education in government schools completely free, were among the other demands.
The protesters, while slamming the government for its decision to switch to English medium of teaching the Science and Mathematics subjects in Government schools, pointed out that that Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Assembly polls last year said that the medium of teaching in engineering and medical institutions in Assam will be changed to Assamese.
The AJYCP warned that it would resort to a severe agitation programme if the government did not respond to students’ body’s demands, the major one being the revocation of the decision to teach in English medium in two subjects.
Our Nagaon correspondent adds: Over hundreds of AJYCP protesters in Nagaon staged a similar protest.
Noted Assamese writer Sibananda Kakoti, state joint secretary of the organisation Bipul Bora, district president of AJYCP Pragjyotish Bonia, finance secretary Hemanta Das, former district president of the organisation Deepmoni Bora were among those who took part in the stir.
Our Biswanath correspondent adds: The AJYCP unit also staged a demonstration at Biswanath.
At the end of the sit-in demonstration, the members of the students’ wing submitted a memorandum to the chief minister of Assam through the deputy commissioner of Biswanath. The demonstration was attended by Sourav Das, Pulak Bora, Nasir Ahmed, Debabrat Medhi, Diganta Barua, Amarjyoti Bora, Priyanku Deka, Nihar Saikia and other members.
