Respected Sir,

I have noted with increasing concern some disturbing events in the Education sector of Assam.

First of all, the rot usually associated with the HSLC examinations conducted by the SEBA has now spread to the HSSLC examinations conducted by the AHSEC. It is now proven that in the ongoing HSSLC examination, the question papers pertaining to Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry were leaked beforehand. It is a matter of grave concern that the leak took place not at the printing stage, but at a prior juncture. This is tantamount to an irrefutable indictment of the Education Department, apart from being a body-blow to the hopes and confidence of the people of Assam.

Secondly, it has been reported that the Government headed by you has resolved to relegate the Assam Women’s University (AWU) at Jorhat to the lesser category of a technical institute or something of that type. This is most disheartening news. In fact, it is downright contradictory to the ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ slogan and talk of women’s empowerment propagated by the BJP-led Government at the Centre.

I must point out that AWU was set up on the lines of the Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University, the first such university of South-East Asia, which completed 100 years last year. The unique feature of this type of university is that it offers vocational courses along with a regular curriculum. There are only 14 women’s universities in India and, keeping in view the need for increasing the gross enrolment ratio of women in higher education, even the UGC has decided to establish 20 more women’s universities to promote higher education for women. In such a scenario, it is impossible to fathom the rationale behind your Government’s decision to downgrade the AWU. There is obviously more to the matter than meets the eye.

In view of the facts cited above, I request your intervention regarding both issues. Since the enquiry committee has spotted the question paper leakage at the pre-printing stage, therefore the Chairman and Secretary of AHSEC need to be held accountable and removed immediately. Moreover, the decision to downgrade the AWU also needs to be revoked. One gets the impression from certain acts of omission and commission that the Education Minister is not paying adequate attention to his Department. Therefore, it is up to you to impress upon the Education Minister that fulfilment of these two objectives will benefit the people of Assam.

(DEBABRATA SAIKIA)