Steps mooted to upskill Tea Estate youths of Assam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The sub-committee for skill and employment (tea tribe community) has come up with a list of ills among tea tribe youths and their remedies to convert the ordinary under-matriculate, matriculate and higher secondary-passed among them into human capital.

In its last interactive session termed 'Humder moner kotha', the sub-committee, headed by MLA Terosh Gowala, found —

(i) Tea gardens have a higher number of under-matriculated boys and girls who have no option but to work in tea gardens or move out of the state for employment.

(ii) Women in tea gardens are eager to take up business activities if the government provides them assistance. The government may encourage them to form 'mahila gut' (women's groups) and train them for piggery, fishery, poultry, mushroom cultivation, weaving/sewing/embroidery/knitting. The Commissioner of Tea Tribes Welfare Board and Director of Tea and Ex-tea Tribes can provide a sufficient number of modern weaving machines for their training.

As remedies to the problems afflicting the tea tribes, the sub-committee recommended measures like –

(i) The government can impart training on wielding, electric training, mobile repairing, driving, repairing automobiles, plumbers, carpentry, masonry, AC and refrigerator repairing, etc. The government should reserve some seats in such trades exclusively for tea tribes in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

(ii) The government can train HSLC and higher secondary passed tea tribes, who cannot pursue graduation, on skills like fashion-designing, paramedical courses, physiotherapy, lab technician etc. The government can hone their computer skills to make them able to run their businesses.

(iii) The government can provide coaching to such youths for their recruitment in the state police force as they are physically fit.

(iv) The government may keep a certain percentage of posts of lower and upper primary teachers reserved for tea tribe candidates, besides providing them special coaching for TET (Teachers Eligibility Test). The government can absorb them in the under-construction model schools in tea gardens.

The government formed seven sub-committees under 'Humder moner kotha' for the welfare of tea tribes in various fields. All the sub-committees have submitted their reports to the Chief Minister.

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