BONGAIGAON, Jan 3 - In a bid to reach out to the common people, the Bongaigaon district unit of the Asam Sahitya Sabha organized �Setu Bandhan� and �Ujjiban Yatra� at Bongaigaon College on Saturday.
Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora, Sabha�s president, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that the affluent and the middle class Assamese parents have posed a threat to the Assamese language by admitting their children to English medium schools instead of vernacular medium educational institutions.
This trend was started by the Assamese bureaucrats and ministers in Shillong, when it was the capital of the State, Dr Bora said.
Dr Bora also said that the demand for implementing the Assamese language in State government offices had been raised since 1970, but it has not been followed as yet as 95 per cent of Assamese employees working in these offices have no interest in using their mother-tongues.
Since many ineligible teachers were appointed in vernacular primary schools 20/30 years back, they had lowered the quality of education in these schools, which compelled many guardians to shift their children to private English medium schools, added Dr Bora.
According to Dr Bora, the Teacher Eligibility Test should be reserved for those candidates who had passed their examinations with a first division to bring forth quality in vernacular medium schools.
Before concluding his speech, Dr Bora urged everyone to promote the Assamese language by using it as the first or second language in the State.
While terming the Sabha as the convergence of three mothers � biological mother, motherland and mother tongue � Dr Parmananda Rajbongshi, the Sabha�s general secretary, said that the Sabha is the backbone of the Assamese people. �The State is going to become an English State soon unless the Assamese language is protected and promoted here,� warned Dr Rajbongshi in his address.
Dr Rajbongshi called upon the people to join the Sabha by becoming a life member so that with the monetary contribution of the members it can do its important works without begging from others. He also asked the people to put forward their suggestions and views for the development of the Sabha.
The programme was organized in association with Bongaigaon College on its premises. Hitesh Chandra Das, principal of the college gave the welcome address.
Biswajit Pegu, Bongaigaon Deputy Commissioner, in his inaugural address, lauded the Sabha and the college for taking such a good initiative for the promotion of the Assamese language. Dr Bora released a story book � Pass book written by Manik Sarma and a journal Commercian published by the Commerce department of Bongaigaon College in the programme.