STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam Legislative Assembly (ALA), on a concluding day on Tuesday, unanimously passed three important Bills related to school education. While one of the Bills proposes to make teaching of the Assamese language mandatory for all schools — government as well as private; the other two Bills is on regularizing the transfers and postings of teachers in the government schools; and fees in the private schools.
Earlier presenting the Bills on the floor of the House, Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “As all the three Bills pertain to the Education sector in the State, I request all Members to co-operate. If any Member wishes to offer any suggestions or amendments, we can very well take up those issue in the next session of the House.”
The Opposition leaders unanimously agreed to the Minister’s proposal.
The three Bills are: The Assamese Language Learning Bill, 2020; The Assam Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Bill; and The Assam Elementary & Secondary School teachers (Regulation of Posting and Transfer) Bill.
Referring to the Bills, the Minister said, “The prime objective of ‘The Assamese Language Learning Bill, 2020’ is to make Assamese a compulsory subject in all schools — government and non-government — across Assam. However, there is a special clause for the schools in the Barak Valley, BTAD and also the two Hill districts where Assamese will not be a compulsory subject.
“The Assam Elementary & Secondary School teachers (Regulation of Posting and Transfer) Bill has been brought to streamline the processes of posting and transfer of the government teachers. A teacher will not be transferred for 10 years from the date of his/her joining. But within this period, inter-district transfers and extra-ordinary cases will be considered.”
The Minister further stated, “If any officer violates these rules then he/she will be awarded one-year imprisonment.”