Assam: Knowledge of local languages must for jobs in education sector, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said that knowing  local languages fluently is mandatory to be considered eligible for higher-qualification posts in colleges. This will provide for the protection of the rights of indigenous people, he stated.

The Chief Minister said here, "Our government is committed to ensuring that local people get job priority and knowledge of local languages is mandatory for jobs in colleges. We will never compromise on our priority towards the local youth of Assam."

On Tuesday, a notification was issued by the Director of Higher Education where it was stated that PRC is not mandatory for appointment in posts of assistant professors, librarians, etc. in colleges. In this context, the CM said an inquiry will be constituted to ascertain with what authority the director issued this circular, as such circulars are generally issued by the government.

The CM further said, "Acquiring a PRC is not a big deal, as anyone staying continuously for three years in the state can take out a PRC. But, for the safeguarding of jobs for local people, we had already taken a big decision in 2022. According to that decision, for appointments to posts of assistant professors, librarians, and others, fluency in local languages is mandatory, and a test is to be taken on knowledge of local languages. If a professor is not fluent in the local language, how can he teach the students? The local language in Barak Valley is Bengali; in the BTR, it is the Bodo language; and in the Brahmaputra Valley, it is the Assamese language. We have even made it mandatory for a candidate for ACS and APS posts to know the local language. We have done all this to safeguard jobs for local people, and a section of people is creating controversy regarding PRC. Whether it is in the education sector or in other sectors, we will never compromise on our priority towards the local people of Assam."

It is pertinent to mention here that the issuance of PRCs has been stopped for many years in Assam, except for educational purposes.

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