Assam govt to take control of 26 pvt colleges to implement Bodo accord

As per the Bodo Peace Accord, the Assam government on Sunday decided to take control of the 26 private colleges in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), officials said.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday held a meeting with a delegation of All Bodo Students' Union (ABSU) and Bodo Sahitya Sabha and decided about the implementation of the remaining provisions of the Bodo Peace Accord, signed on January 27 last year in New Delhi in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

An official said that during the meeting, it was decided to take up expeditious implementation of the accord and following the request of the delegation, it was decided that 26 venture (private) colleges would be taken up in BTR in western Assam comprising the four western districts of Chirang, Baksa, Udalguri and Kokrajhar, bordering Bhutan and West Bengal.

The meeting also decided to create adequate Bodo language teacher posts in schools in Bodo areas as per National Education Policy (NEP-2020). The Chief Minister also said that a campus of Bodoland University would be set up at Udalguri along with science and law colleges in BTR.

A decision was also taken for holding a special Teachers' Eligibility Test for Bodo medium.

Education Minister Ranuj Pegu, Urban Development Minister Ashok Singhal, CEM BTR Pramod Boro, President ABSU Dipen Boro and President of Bodo Sahitya Sabha Taren Boro were also present in the meeting.

In all 1,615 extremists had laid down their arms on January 30 last year, after the Centre signed the third Bodo Peace Accord with four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).