Protest in Silchar: AIDSO and AIDWA demand reversal of decision to shut down 11,000 native language medium schools by Assam Govt.

Reported by Samdipto Chakravarti 

Silchar, Assam: On the 117th birth anniversary of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh, a fervent protest was organized by AIDSO (All India Democratic Students' Organization) and AIDWA (All India Democratic Women's Association) in Silchar, Cachar. The demonstrators passionately demanded the immediate reversal of the government's decision to close more than 11,000 state-run schools employing native languages as the medium of instruction.

Activists, joined by concerned citizens, congregated at the Kshudiram Statue and the Shaheed Bedi in Dhuvabond to voice their opposition. They vehemently criticized the government’s move to shut down government schools using native languages, seeing it as a worrisome step towards the commercialization and privatization of education. The closure of 9,000 schools prior to this decision, and the potential shutdown of over 11,000 more, would collectively lead to the closure of more than 20,000 schools, deeply concerning the protesters.

The demonstrators demanded an immediate halt to the school closures and called for the reintroduction of the pass-fail system from 1st to 8th grade in government schools that use native languages as the medium of instruction. Furthermore, they stressed the necessity of appointing an adequate number of trained teachers, preventing teachers from being diverted for non-educational tasks, and ensuring robust infrastructure development in these schools.

AIDSO and AIDWA vehemently condemned the government’s decision and formally submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the District Magistrate of Cachar. The protest witnessed the presence of notable figures including Sujit Akkurha, Subir Roy, Dilip Reei, Shibhu Bainchab, and Prem Anand Das, all united in their determination to safeguard the future of education in native languages.