CM Himanta Biswa Sarma overhauls Assam’s education system to mark first 100 days in office

GUWAHATI: Marking the first 100 days in office on Friday, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced an overhauling of the state education system, which include compulsory study of both Indian and Assam history and geography in school, upgrade of every high school to senior secondary school, merging of Class X and XII state boards and bringing all engineering colleges of the state under Washington Accord.
“We have decided that both Indian and Assam history and geography will be added as compulsory subjects for all students up to Class X from the next academic session under the concept of holistic education envisaged by the new education policy,” Sarma said.
The state government has also decided to implement “senior secondary school” concept from the 2022 academic session under the National Education Policy. With the implementation of the scheme, all high schools in the state will be automatically upgraded to higher secondary level, the CM added.
We have taken a major decision as prescribed by the new education policy. Starting next year, there will be a senior secondary school system. Every high school will become a higher secondary school and every junior college will have classes 9 and 10,” he added.
For this, Sarma said, there will be a massive exercise, which includes the merger of SEBA and AHSEC. “We will also need many post graduate teachers,” he added.
On technical education, Sarma said, “We want to bring all our engineering colleges under the Washington Accord so that we can become partners in the global technical movement. Work has already started in this direction.”
The membership of Washington Accord is an international recognition of the quality of undergraduate engineering education offered by the member country and is an avenue to bring it into the world class category.
It encourages and facilitates the mobility of engineering graduates and professionals at the international level. India’s National Board of Accreditation became the permanent signatory member of the Washington Accord on June 13, 2014.
Sarma said the state’s medical colleges are “undoubtedly the best in the country, barring AIIMS and few other colleges.”