Assam govt tables Education Bill with sweeping reforms; BTR alleges Accord breach

Guwahati, Nov 26: Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, on Wednesday, tabled the Assam Education Bill in the Legislative Assembly, outlining a series of significant reforms aimed at restructuring the provincialisation process.

The bill aims to ease teacher transfer norms and improve financial benefits for teaching and non-teaching staff across the state.

Speaking to the press after the tabling at Assembly premises, Pegu announced that all schools established on or before January 1, 2006, would be eligible for provincialisation.

He further stated that schools possessing proper recognition and affiliation, including those with NOC status, would also be covered under the provincialisation framework, ensuring their teachers are brought under government service benefits.

“I have tabled the Education Bill. Schools created up to January 1, 2026, will be provincialised and schools with concurrence, recognition and affiliation, including those having NOC status, will also be considered, and their teachers will be brought under provincialisation,” Pegu said while explaining the provisions.

The minister also highlighted reforms to the long-standing teacher transfer policy in remote areas.

“Earlier, teachers posted in remote regions had to complete 10 years before applying for a transfer. We have proposed a change wherein male teachers can now apply for transfer to their home district after seven years of service and female teachers after five years,” he added.

Further, the Bill proposes a 6% revision in fixed pay for non-teaching staff, along with a similar increment for tutors working in schools.

Addressing the issue of affordability, Pegu noted that under the Non-Government Educational Institution Fee Regulation Bill, schools located in remote areas have been advised to reduce their fees by 25% to ease the burden on parents.

While the Minister described the Bill as a step towards "rationalising and strengthening the education system", it has drawn strong criticism from the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), particularly in Kokrajhar, where venture school employees feel marginalised by the proposed framework.

At a press conference held at the Kokrajhar Press Club on Wednesday, the BTC Venture Senior Secondary School Employees’ Association strongly opposed the Bill, alleging that it fails to acknowledge the special status and rights of educational institutions under the Sixth Schedule and the BTR Accord.

General Secretary Indrajit Basumatary expressed deep dissatisfaction, accusing both the state and central governments of neglecting Clause 6.3 of the BTR Accord, which mandates the consideration and provincialisation of schools and colleges in the BTR region.

“The government has based this Bill on the cutoff date of January 1, but BTR has not been given any place in it. If this stands, none of our schools and colleges will come under its purview. This Bill ignores the Sixth Schedule areas entirely,” Basumatary said.

He further added, “As per Clause 6.3 of the Bodo Accord, schools and colleges under BTR should be considered and provincialised. We had hopes that this government would honour that commitment, but those hopes have been squashed. The Chief Minister and the Education Minister have deprived us of our rightful recognition.”

The association reiterated that no concrete steps have been taken to implement the BTR Accord despite repeated assurances and warned that continued exclusion of BTC venture schools could lead to intensified protests in the coming days.