By Bijoy PTC Handique

Jorhat : Along with other university from all throughout the country in Jorhat too,  the Assam Agricultural University Employees Association and members of the State Federation observed hour long protest day in front of the administrative block at Jorhat campus n demand for uniform pay scale, service condition, filling up of vacant post. Regularization of services of all casual and contractual employees, and to outsourcing of university jobs, restoration of old pension system, representation of non-teaching employees in the university bodes like housing, skill up gradation, and also in service training and submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India through the vice chancellor I/C Dr. Ashok Bhattacharyya, said A Sharma, the general secretary of AAU Employees Association here today.

The memorandum further stated that the Draft National Education Policy-2019 and that it contains certain contradictory recommendation with regards to higher education development in this country. We welcome the recommendation in so far as provision for spending 6% of the GDP for education, although no specific time limit has been set. The draft policy merely repeated the earlier commitment made in NEP 1968 and NEP-1986. As the draft policy itself mentioned that inspite of NEP 1968 and 86 the public expenditure is only 2.7% of the GDP till 2017-18.

Privatization in education is the result of gradual withdrawing of the state from the field of education over the years and the draft NEP 2019 clearly said this if we look at the implementation ofg 1969 and 1986 policies. What we have seen is that private investment came only in professional courses such as management, technical and health services and result is hopeless, bearing a few counted institutions as various reports suggest that the quality of graduate turn out by these private institutions are substandard to a larger extent. And finally appeal for further consultation in the matter of New Education Policy-2019 and not to rush through passing of the Bill in the parliament. As the MoU was signed by four respective general secretaries  of Assam Agricultural University’s Employees Association , as the MoU stated which was submitted to the vice chancellor I/C of AAU.