GUWAHATI, Jan 9 � The Kokrajhar district administration in a hearty decision today offered free-of-cost coaching, accommodation and food to over 600 violence-hit students who are to appear in the forthcoming HSLC examination in the State this year.
The novel intervention by the district administration could act as a model initiative for the affected school-going children of the violence affected districts in the State.
It is already decided that the administration with the support from various civil society groups and NGOs will provide support to 618 HSLC candidates, of which more than 50 per cent are girls.
While 443 students are from Kokrajhar subdivision, the rest are from Gossaigaon subdivision.
Digambar Narzary of Nedan Foundation, an NGO working for the relief of the violence affected population, told The Assam Tribune, �We have been pursuing the matter with the administration keeping in view the ordeal that the school going children went through. It is a commendable decision taken by the administration.�
Narzary said that civil society groups including the All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) and the All Adivasi Students� Association of Assam have also come out with a positive attitude in the greater interest of the society.
He said that it was heartening to see that senior students from different educational institutes including the Bodoland University, Kokrajhar College have volunteered to provide coaching to the violence affected students and help them prepare for the ensuing HSLC examination in a quality environment.
�We will be providing coaching in English, Science and Mathematics,� he divulged, adding, �From food, accommodation to the teaching materials and other items of basic needs, everything will be taken care of for these 600-odd students,� Narzary said.
Deputy Commissioner of Kokrajhar district Thaneswar Malakar, when contacted, said the NGOs have been asked to assess the text books requirements and the administration will work with them to facilitate all that is required.
Violence triggered by terrorists in different districts, especially Kokrajhar and Sonitpur, had killed over 70 persons, mostly children and women besides displacing lakhs of people.
