“Apart from TET, assessment result of Class X and Class XII will be accepted in all jobs,” Himanta Biswa Sarma

Department of Education, Government of Assam has already declared the assessment modalities for Class X and Class XII students of the state boards. The final examinations have been canceled and the results will be declared using an evaluation process that depends heavily on Schools’ internal assessment and marks obtained in previous examinations.

Education Minister of Assam, Ranoj Pegu had announced that the assessment marks will not be accepted for jobs under Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and other Assam Government Departments where Class X and Class XII’s marks are significant criteria in the selection of the candidate. For those who want to apply for such Government jobs, there will be a special HSLC and HS examinations which they need to take.

This clause has irked the students’ unions across the State and protests erupted in all parts. The decision has been heavily criticised by columnists and the State’s intelligentsia. Yesterday, at a press conference in New Delhi, the chief minister of Assam urged the critics to look at it through a different lens. “It is a huge human interest problem that we are dealing with. I read a lot of mockery of the decision on newspapers, but we need to understand what we are dealing with is the life of thousands and thousands of job seekers,” said the chief minister.

Himanta Biswa Sarma is in New Delhi and met Home Minister Amit Shah, President of India Ram Nath Kovind recently. When the decision of the Department of Education was announced, the chief minister was out of the station. “After I return, I will meet AASU and other Students’ Union. We will discuss the matter and try to communicate it better. Maybe, the criticism is due to our lack of clarity while communicating the modalities,” said Sarma. The education minister, Ranoj Pegu is also meeting several students’ unions in Bodoland and such meetings will continue, said the minister.

The chief minister reiterated, “See the 2021 batch who will get their results based on the assessment and not final examination will get their certificates and mark sheets. These certificates will be accepted in all jobs, they can become engineers, doctors, sit for Assam Public Service Commission openings, will also get grade III and grade IV jobs. The only area of concern where the assessment mark sheet won’t be considered is the TET jobs.”

He explained, “In TET, a significant weightage is given to the marks obtained in Class X and Class XII. We have to understand that this time, most students will secure 90%, 95% some schools will even give 100% to the students. Though we are trying to control that, rest assured it will happen. Now, who will students of other batches compete with this batch when it comes to TET examination and job. For the next few years, only students of 2021 batch will get jobs thousands of others will remain jobless. There are 35 – 40-year-olds eyeing a job through TET, where will they go?”

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu had stated that as there are entrance examinations for various jobs and courses, the applicants must treat the special examinations as an entrance test and sit for it. The government, he said, will try to hold the examination before September 15, 2021. If that is not possible due to the COVID cases, the examinations will be held in 2022, he said.