AASU deadline ends without response

GUWAHATI, January 1: The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) deadline to the political leaders to resign from the managing committees of the educational institutions to keep the education system free from political interference passed off yesterday without evoking any response. The AASU president, Prabin Boro said that the AASU would be forced to launch a democratic movement for keeping the education system free from political interference. He said that the AASU would announce its agitational programme shortly and "we may even go for obstructing the meetings of the management committees of the educational institutions." Boro said that political interference in the educational institutions seriously affected the careers of promising students of the State. He pointed out that political interference in matters of appointment of teachers seriously affected the education system and that there were instances when even persons who had passed the HSLC examinations after several attempts, were appointed as school teachers. The AASU presidents demanded that teachers be appointed only on merit. The AASU also demanded that the government publish a white paper on the action taken on the enquiry conducted into the illegal appointment of school teachers. Boro lamented that till date, the State Government had failed to take steps to solve the problems faced by the students. He pointed out that despite repeated demands by the AASU, the State Education department had not been able to prepare a full-fledged academic calendar right from the school to the university level for the benefit of the student community. Boro also pointed out that in the past few years, the government had not been able to provide textbooks on time and demanded that for the ensuing academic session, the government take all possible steps to ensure that the students receive the textbooks on time. The AASU also demanded that History and Geography be included in the school syllabus as compulsory subjects.