The Assamese language will soon be required in all English-medium schools connected to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the state board, according to a major policy change announced by the Assam government. This ruling complies with the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee’s recommendations and is consistent with the Assam Accord’s Clause 6, which places a strong emphasis on the advancement of the Assamese language. In announcing the new policy, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized the government’s commitment to maintaining and advancing the Assamese language in the classroom.
The goal of the new policy is to help students better grasp their cultural identity and linguistic heritage. In accordance with the linguistic plurality of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), the policy would mandate that pupils learn either Bodo or Assamese as a required topic. In addition to helping the students become fluent in the languages used in their communities, the move aims to give them a sense of cultural identification and belonging.
The implementation of 52 recommendations from the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee concerning Clause 6 of the Assam Accord was the subject of lengthy debates between the Assam Cabinet and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) a few weeks ago. The decision to publish all government notices, circulars, and papers in both Assamese and English starting on April 14 was one of the main choices made at the conference. To ensure linguistic inclusion, the identical materials were to be published in Bodo as well in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).