In a first, Assam to set up high schools in tea gardens

Prabin Kalita | TNN | Aug 2, 2020, 12:33 IST

119 schools will be established and the foundation will be laid on October 2

GUWAHATI: For the first time since Independence, the Assam government will set up high schools in tea gardens of the state.
“At present, no tea garden area has a high school. There are only LP schools and few ME schools. We have finalized setting up of 119 high schools in tea gardens and the foundation for all the schools will be laid on October 2,” Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.
He added, “Such a massive move to build high schools in tea gardens of the state has never been taken up in the state. It is the first mega project undertaken since Independence to better infrastructure in education sector in garden areas.” The minister said, “Each high school will cater to a cluster of five to six tea gardens, and we have allocated Rs 1.19 crore for building one high school.”
Construction of schools in 6-7 months: Sarma
He added that the construction of the schools will be completed in six to seven months so that they can be made operational from the start of the next academic session from April, 2021.
The LP schools in tea gardens are being primarily managed by the respective garden managements in almost all tea-producing districts at present.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president and tea tribe leader Bhagirath Karan said LP schools in only tea gardens of Sivasagar, Jorhat Golaghat and Cachar districts are managed by the state government. He added that the state government’s move to set up these 119 high schools would benefit tea garden students, but only in a limited way, as the number of schools is way too inadequate.
“This was a promise of BJP in the last election and it has taken more than four years to announce it, which obviously is being done with the coming election next year in mind. Moreover, there are 1,000 registered tea gardens and the government has announced just 119 high schools. Also, what happens after a tea garden student completes high school? There aren’t enough colleges for these students to further their studies,” Karan added.