By Preetam BC

Kokrajhar: Students of Kokrajhar Music and Fine Art College, Kokrajhar today staged a 3 hours sit in protest dharna infront of the college gate demanding action on indefinite class and examination boycott by the teachers among other demands.

Around a 100 students of the college participate in the protest programme shouting slogans demanding immediate start of the class.

The teaching staffs of Kokrajhar Music and Fine Art College, Kokrajhar are on indefinite class boycott since Wednesday to express anger over the Government of Assam for failing to provincialize the college even after 28 years of its existence. All the teachers of the college stayed away from taking classes.

A memorandum was later submitted to the Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner demanding immediate solutions to the problems of the college, action on indefinite class and examination boycott by the teachers among other demands and appointment of a regular principal.

The students stated that the 2nd and 4th semester examination of B. Music and B. Fine Arts is is from 13 June next and classes has been stopped since Wednesday (29 May) affecting the student community. The agitating students said they understand the flight of the teachers but at the same time are much concern over the academic classes  and the coming examination and urged the Assam government and the BTC authority for immediate steps and actions to solve the present crisis and genuine problems of the college.

Talking to Reporter, college vice Principal said the teachers have started indefinite class boycott from Wednesday last in protest against the failure to provincialize the college. The Vice-Principal said they had been waiting for a positive response from the government but there has been no response o far leaving the teachers with no option other than agitation.

The Kokrajhar Music and Fine Arts College in Kokrajhar established in 1990, is the lone such college in BTAD and Lower Assam which provides Bachelor of Degree in Music and Fine Arts.

“The college was established under the same rules and regulations of State College of Music, Panjabari and Government College of Arts and Crafts, Basistha. The Government of Assam resolved to provincialize the Kokrajhar Music and Fine Arts College in line with the Government College of Arts and Crafts and State College of Music, Guwahati by a resolution taken in a meeting between Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and BTC Chief Hagrama Mohilary on July 20, 2016. The department of Cultural Affairs had inspected the college on July 14, 2018 but as per sources, the process of undertaking of college by Cultural Affairs department needed cabinet memorandum, a teacher said.

However, the State cabinet has neither sent such a nod to the department nor have the MLAs raise questions on the delay in the provincialization process.

Sources of the college disclosed that the BTC had earmarked an amount of Rs. 5 lakh annual grant for the college but the officer in the BTC Secretariat sent the amount through the Education department instead of the Department of Cultural Affairs while the Director of Education has not released the amount saying that there was no provision from his department.