Teachers of Kokrajhar Music and Fine Art College begin indefinite class boycott

Our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR: The teaching staff of Kokrajhar Music and Fine Art College, Kokrajhar started indefinite class boycott from Wednesday to express anger over the Government of Assam for failing to provincialize the college even after 28 years. All the teachers of the college stayed away from taking classes.

Talking to this reporter, a teacher on condition anonymity said the teachers of the college would not attend their duties for an indefinite period from Wednesday as a mark of protest for the failure to provincialize the college in nearly three decades. The teacher also said the final examination of B. Music and B. Fine under Bodoland University (BU) would begin from June 13 and they were likely to abstain from the examination duty too.

The lone Music and Fine Arts College, Kokrajhar, in BTC region as well as lower Assam, was established in 1990. It is yet to be provincialized as the government had been giving a lackadaisical attitude towards the college. The teachers and the staff of the college expressed their anger over the indifferent attitude towards the college as a teacher had already retired while the Vice-Principal would retire in November this year.

The agitating teachers of the college said the college was established under the same rules and regulations of State College of Music, Panjabari and Government College of Arts and Crafts, Basistha. They said that Kokrajhar and Fine Arts College was the only college in BTC and in entire lower Assam which was providing Bachelor of Degree in Music and Fine Arts.

They said the Government of Assam resolved to provincialize the Kokrajhar Music and Fine Arts College in line with the Government College of Arts and Crafts and State College of Music, Guwahati by a resolution taken in a meeting between Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary on July 20, 2016. The department of Cultural Affairs had inspected the college on July 14, 2018 but as per sources, the process of undertaking of college by Cultural Affairs department needed cabinet memorandum.

However, the State cabinet has neither sent such a nod to the department nor have the MLAs raise questions on the delay in the provincialization process.

The Vice-Principal of the college said they had been waiting for a positive response from the government but now they had lost faith in the sincerity of the government and were left with no option other than agitation. He warned that they would be compelled to start agitation soon and if needed, the teaching and non-teaching staff would shave their heads.

Sources of the college disclosed that the BTC had earmarked an amount of Rs. 5 lakh annual grant for the college but the officer in the BTC Secretariat sent the amount through the Education department instead of the Department of Cultural Affairs while the Director of Education has not released the amount saying that there was no provision from his department. The teachers of the college warned that they would not remain silent over the lackadaisical approach of the government towards the college.

Kokrajhar Music & Fine Arts College needs a plot of land, three-storey office building, community hall, hostel and other infrastructure. Construction of new girls’ hostel is going on at Owabari but the government has not taken initiative for provincialization other than infrastructure development.

Also read: Assam news