Guwahati: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), an influential students’ body, has demanded the scrapping of a clause in the evaluation criteria formulated by expert committees for High School Leaving Certificate (Class X) and Higher Secondary (Class XII) exams, which states that the mark-sheets and certificates under the new evaluation formula will be applicable for admissions in higher classes but not valid for state government jobs.
AASU raised this objection and demanded to scrapAASU of the clause a day after the education minister Ranjor Pegu announced the evaluation formula for class X and XII board examinees on Thursday.
The students’ body warned the state government not to “play with the lives and future of students” with such an “absurd” clause in the evaluation criteria. The body urged the government and both the boards – Board of Secondary Education Assam (which conducts class X exams) and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (which conducts class XII exams) to take an immediate decision to withdraw the clause.
Addressing the media on Friday, Aasu president Dipanka Kumar Nath said, “We have an objection to one clause which states that the HSLC and HS mark-sheets will not be eligible for employment but only for admissions to higher classes. This is absurd and goes against the interest of students. We want the state government to scrap this particular clause.”
On Thursday, the Assam education department announced the evaluation criteria of the exams after the prevailing Covid-19 situation prompted the cancellation of the exams.
Announcing this, the education minister Ranoj Pegu said in exams for teachers’ jobs in the education department or in exams for jobs in other state government departments, the marks to be given through the newly adopted formula announced due to the pandemic would not be applicable.
“Keeping in mind the future exams for jobs, we advise students to appear in the special board exam to be held later,” he added.
The Aasu president said the students’ body has no objection to any other clauses of the evaluation criteria. He urged the government to ensure a safe future for the students by executing the other clauses of the evaluation criteria.
He, further, said, “The government could have held the examinations by taking various steps including an increase in examination centres on time (in February). AASU was in favour of that. Anyway, the examinations have been cancelled in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation and the expert committees have come out with an evaluation formula. We urge the government to execute the clauses except for the aforesaid clause which compromises the interest of the students.”
He informed that the Aasu would call on the chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the education minister in the matter soon.
