The Education System in Assam: A Viewpoint

Namita Medhi

Assam is a culturally rich State and a very versatile State on all fronts. If we compare the education system of the past and new Assam, we will realise there are a lot of differences in thinking about education now. The education system in Assam has vast differences in quality of delivering education in Assam as compared to the erstwhile British education system like Montessori Education system or immediately post-Independent phase in India. In the passage of time, the world is becoming more global and technological but even then the education system should be more qualitative oriented than sheer quantitative. Due to various pressures and growing demand for employment-oriented education, the quality of education cannot be focused upon or we can say that quick finishing of syllabus etc. does not keep room for a very progressive form of education. However, though we need to plan and calculate, as Life is not only a game, so is our education system more than a game and it should not be seen as a game playing for winning always. As a result there are also a growing number of back loggers, the failed ones and we do not have much help for the weaker ones in our system.

It is undeniable that job-oriented education is always the sought after one. A child has the right to get quality education in schools and colleges. Every student has the right to get good and progressive education in his/her career and through the quality of education in his career, he/she will get a good job and everything will be right in his life. For the importance of securing a livelihood, they go to developed cities and foreign countries for achieving their goals. The attrition rate of students choosing a career outside Assam is increasing every year. In that case, improving quality means also improving standard of education also.

On the other hand some focus is also to be given for ensuring emotional strength and for developing personality. There will be less cases of suicide and day by day, the students would be more reactive. We have been noticing that there has been an increase in large numbers of psychological problems like depression, sleeping disorder, maladjustment, etc in students and teachers. The competition for getting a job is more in the ratio of 1:50 or 1:100 in each post in every job in Assam, irrespective of whether it is a state govt. or private job. The Assam Govt. does not fill up the required vacancies: in every year there are more candidates in teaching jobs because every year there are large numbers of passed out graduates and post graduate students but compared with that there are few jobs. The students become impatient in getting jobs, as a result, they commit suicide.

As everywhere else, there are games played in the field of education also and education has been spoiled due to lots of corruption everywhere. As a result no one wants to discuss the matter of quality education of Assam. As the large scams have revealed how the entire system, with a few teachers, administrators, buyers, sellers, educators to politicians were all involved in education scams as in APSC scams and many others. So who will now talk about a secure future for honest and quality educators in our system?

We may still wonder which has the perfect educational system: the post or pre-independence era? The questions that arise first is: Does the govt. try to give quality education or not? What is the difference between ICSE AND SEBA/AHSEC education system? Where are we lacking and why are there differences in the education system in Assam??? Some teachers work without any profit, they work without salary and give proper education to students. The govt. should think as well as monitor the school wherever there is vacancy, the inspector of schools should give report to the government on time. If all work is done very efficiently then there would be no unemployment problem in our State.

Flood is one of the major problems in Assam. Every year, flood ruins and destroys many village schools’ area and destroys roads and bridges. Due to this problem, children cannot study with the focus required of them. Broken bridges and flooded roads in dilapidated condition make it very difficult to commute to and from schools and colleges. Some are very poor and below the poverty line. There is generally one option for them: whether they will select food to fulfil their hunger or education during times of flood. The people who are staying in urban areas will not understand and feel their hunger which lasts for 2-3 days or even one week. At that situation, getting education in school becomes a secondary option for suffering and victimised people. The teachers do not want to deliver their service in flooded areas and in that situation the handful number of rural teachers are the only ones who understand and render their services unselfishly.

With some emphasis on the above-mentioned points, I believe, from my point of view, that a little effort and attention towards the education system in Assam by the State govt. will improve the education scenario in Assam. Instead of giving sole importance to quantity only, let us, especially the govt., concentrate on the quality of education, perhaps like in the days of British Assam.

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