Assam to make History & Geography compulsory up to class XH

HT Bureau

GUWAHATI, Aug 20: Stating that Assam government has decided to implement ‘Senior Secondary School’ concept of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 from 2022 academic session, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said his government has decided to make both History and Geography subjects compulsory for schools from the next academic session.
“Both the subjects will be added as compulsory subjects for all students invariably from all mediums. They will learn Assam and Indian History as well as Geography upto class X. It will be included in the education syllabus,” Sarma said briefing the media on the occasion of 100 days completion of his government on Friday.
With the implementation of the scheme, all high schools in the state will be automatically upgraded to higher secondary level, the chief minister said.
This step will lead to a merger of the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC). The new provision will be implemented from April next year, he said.
“From now on all junior colleges will have to open class IX and X classes,” he said.
The state government has also decided to withdraw its previous decision to reserve 75 per cent seats in undergraduate courses for state board pass-outs across all government-run colleges.
The chief minister said that the government would upgrade the academic infrastructure of the educational institutions for this purpose within a year.
He further said that a new teaching model would be introduced in the senior secondary schools under which Science, Maths and English would be taught in English language and rest of the subjects in mother tongue.
The state government would continue implementing new provisions of the policy every year to bring about a transformative change in the Education department in the next five years, the chief minister observed.
Earlier, state Education minister Ranoj Pegu said the board-based reservation will exist in the colleges of rural areas, while seats will be open for students from all boards in the colleges in urban areas.
“The 75% reservation of seats for Assam board students will not be applicable in urban areas. In urban areas, students from all boards will have to compete for a seat in degree courses. It will be purely on the basis of their merit,” he said.
Officials of the state Education department said that since the schools affiliated to CBSE and other boards mainly exist in urban areas, the 75:25 formula for the entire state would have deprived a large number of meritorious students from a seat in undergraduate courses.