GUWAHATI: Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu on Monday, May 11, clarified that the supply of all Bodo medium textbooks, except History and Geography, has been completed amid criticism from various organisations, including the Bodo Sahitya Sabha and the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), over delays in distribution.
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Pegu said the State Academic Calendar schedules classes for History and Geography from June and the supply of those textbooks has accordingly been planned for the same month. He attributed the delay to the time required for preparation of manuscripts.
“A slight delay has occurred due to the time required for preparation of manuscripts,” the minister said.
The clarification came days after ABSU accused the government of failing to ensure timely distribution of textbooks and other educational materials to Bodo medium students across Assam.
Addressing a press conference at Bodofa House in Kokrajhar on Thursday, ABSU president Kwrwmdao Wary alleged that students were yet to receive textbooks even more than a month after the commencement of the academic session.
According to ABSU, classes began on April 1 as per the academic calendar, but there remains a shortage of over 14,000 textbooks, including Mathematics, Social Sciences and History books for Class IX students.
Wary said the delay amounted to a violation of the Right to Education under Article 21A of the Constitution and the Right to Education Act, 2009.
The student body said it had submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the School Education Board of Assam seeking urgent intervention. It also set May 18 as the deadline for the government to resolve the issue, coinciding with the 63rd anniversary of the introduction of Bodo medium education in Assam.
ABSU warned that it would move the High Court through a writ petition if the demands were not addressed within the stipulated time.
Apart from textbooks, the organisation demanded authentic Bodo Dokhona uniforms for secondary students from Classes IX to XII and proper cotton uniforms for elementary students under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
The union criticised the distribution of polyester uniforms in previous years and stressed the importance of respecting traditional attire after the Bodo Dokhona received Geographical Indication (GI) recognition.
ABSU also sought timely distribution of school bags and stationery, filling up of vacant teaching posts in Bodo medium institutions and implementation of quality education in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.