The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) announced on Friday a month-long campaign against the decision of the state government of Assam to teach mathematics and science in English in vernacular medium schools in Class 6 and thereafter. The response included rallies, demonstrations, meetings with academicians, bicycle processions and other forms of protest accompanied by a discourse about the detrimental effects of the decision on local languages.
AASU leaders Utpal Sarma and Sankarjyoti Boruah asserted that the resolution is damaging to Assamese, Bodo and other such tongues and proclaimed a need for improved fluency in English instead. A talk with professors associations of the state is to be the beginning of the crusade, to be trailed by a 10-hour fast on 31st May and a union appeal on 6th June. Local teams will then move to launch a massive awareness activity from 8th June to 14th June, followed by a protest on 15th June and a bicycle procession in sub-divisions on 24th June, to culminate in a gathering of educators on 27th June in Guwahati.
The CM of the state, Himanta Biswa Sarma, in an evaluation self-examination of the Education department last July, prioritized English as the language of instruction for science and maths from grade 6 up till secondary education, along with a continuation of the lesson of the two subjects in the Assamese dialect.
All Assam Students’ Union, AASU, is a students’ union that works towards various issues effecting the student community in the Assam State. Established in 1967, successive governments have had to take notice of the developmental goals and educational demands of the students and youth of the state.
Meanwhile, Himanta Biswa Sarma is an eminent leader, a former minister of Assam and the current Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Education and Finance for the state. He is popular for his ingenuous ideological traits and has laid down various reforms and projects to fix the current issues of the state.
In conclusion, this organized campaign by AASU, against the use of English as the language of instruction in Class 6 and onwards is a story to keep a keen eye on, as it decides the fate of the education system in the state and which language will become the dominant one of instruction.
