GUWAHATI, March 5 - The All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) has demanded that the Assam Legislative Assembly chalk out a comprehensive policy for overall development of Bodo medium education right from elementary level to university level.
In a memorandum to Assembly Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami today, the ABSU said the Assembly should discuss the problems facing the education system as a whole so that a comprehensive policy can be chalked out. It said improvement of the education system is a must for human resource development and the dream of a vibrant Assam would become a reality only when every student gets adequate opportunity in their student life.
The ABSU demanded immediate steps to set up a separate �Directorate of Education� for Bodo and other tribal languages and textbooks. Regular teachers� eligibility tests should be conducted for Bodo medium candidates and full-fledged Bodo departments should be set up at the Dibrugarh University, Cotton University and the central universities of the State.
The student body said NET and SLET examination centres should be set up in the Bodoland University and the hostel capacity in the university increased immediately. The faculty strength of the Bodo department in Gauhati University should also be increased to bring the same at par with Assamese and Bengali departments, the memorandum said.
The ABSU further said that scholarships to the scheduled tribe students should be released regularly and the amount of the scholarship should be increased as per the fee structures of the educational institutions.
The student body also highlighted a series of demands for development of elementary and secondary education and demanded that all the vacant posts in the Bodo medium schools of the State be filled up immediately and all the Bodo medium schools provincialised. The posts of contractual teachers should be converted to permanent ones and science, mathematics, physical education and Hindi teachers should be appointed in all Bodo medium schools.
The ABSU demanded construction of permanent strongrooms for keeping the answerscripts of the HSLC and Higher Secondary examinations in all the zones. Teachers should not be engaged in NRC and election duties, it further demanded.
Copies of the memorandum have also been sent to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister.
