Gone are the days when there were only Government – run primary, high and higher secondary schools in the State. Even if there were English – medium such schools, they were so few in number throughout Assam that one could easily count them on one’s fingers. Consider the schools in the would be prime economic destination for most South East Asian nations – Guwahati the capital city, for if not all of them, thanks to the much – publicised and vaunted ‘Look East Policy’, candidly speaking, till the eighties, if one is not wrong in reckoning, in this principal metropolis, there were essentially only two English – medium privately run schools, both affiliated to the State Education Board of Assam – SEBA save for the three Kendriya Vidhalaya having the CBSE syllabus and the remaining were vernacular – medium educational institutions.

The single reason for the parents sending their children to these schools was the teachers themselves. At that point of time, most of these teachers were very sincere and strict disciplinarians. Besides this, they were devoted to teaching with a proven record of knowledge.

The two English schools offering the SEBA – recommended courses are, so to say, Don Bosco High School at Panbazar in the city and St. Mary’s exclusively for girl students near Gauhati Club. As there was a craze at that time among sections of the parents / guardians belonging to well – to – do and highly – educated as well as aristocrat families for convent – imparted English education under the State Board at the beginning of every academic session, many of them used to strain every nerve to get their children enrolled in these schools. However, many a ward returned frustrated with a broken heart at not getting a seat there, simply because managing even a single one was not a cakewalk in either school. With limited seats, the admission of a student was determined by how they fared in the written test and viva voce.

Most parents therefore did skirt this whole rigmarole of getting an admission for their children in these schools and admitted them into the existing vernacular – mediumGovernment / provincialized schools even as they knew that some of these latter schools were old even though they had a glorious history of students’ brilliant results with basic infrastructure such as a science lab, playground, auditorium and their libraries as well as the school building – of the Assam type structure or RCC buildings which were then in a good state. They also knew that all teachers of these schools were not highly qualified. In spite of this, there were large numbers of students studying in these schools. Some of the city’s schools were in fact swarming with students with numbers ranging from 1200 to 1500 students, if not less. One such educational institution which can be named here, for instance, is Paltan Bazar Bengali High School which was Government aided and was later provincialized in 1976 along with other such city schools, during the Sarat Chandra Sinha – led State Government. This school was later accorded the status of a Higher Secondary School in the late 1960s.

It has to be questioned here as to why there was such a rush for admission into the so called High / Higher Secondary Schools year after year. It is true that there were a few teachers in these schools who had an impressive record of education. The single reason for the parents sending their children to these schools was the teachers themselves. At that point of time, most of these teachers were very sincere and strict disciplinarians. Besides this, they were devoted to teaching with a proven record of knowledge. Resultantly, there was a truly academic atmosphere in the school with hardly any student daring to play truant which is missing today in many schools. As opposed to teachers and students of today, the teachers and students then were very regular in attending classes. The teachers then were also very punctual and serious about completing their courses. Indeed, at that time, the successive heads of the institution were reputed to be very strict disciplinarians like village headmasters.

The end result of all this is that these teachers had the last laugh. When the matriculation and Higher Secondary final results were declared, it was revealed that many students had brought the school laurels by passing these exams with flying colours. Records have it that some of them occupied positions in the HSLC exams every year. Thus it became one of the reknowned institutions like the TC Girls’ and Collegiate higher secondary schools in the State. The products of Bengali Higher Secondary School later became household names such as Dr. Amalendu Guha a noted historian, Late Manoranjan Banerjee and Gurudas Chatterjee who was a Railway Board Chairman to name a few of the alumnus of the school.

However, it is regrettable that many such schools in Guwahati and other towns today are facing an acute crisis of existence with the number of students getting admission in these institutions gradually declining which can be attributed to a host of problems such as the craze for admission into the English – medium private schools and junior colleges that have mushroomed in large numbers in Guwahati and all towns in the State over the last two decades, the ramshackle condition of the buildings of some of the old Government schools and the dearth of teachers as per their requirements. However, these major unsolved issues that the State Government ought to have addressed long before have literally rendered many Government, provincialized LP, MP, high and higher secondary schools almost dysfunctional.

The Government had, a few months ago decided to renovate those school buildings that have become fifty years or more old by the PWD and the latter soon after the former’s announcement visited those schools and took an estimate of how much funds would be required to restore each of these schools. Weeks have since rolled by and yet there is, so far, no information of it setting about the much awaited work. If there is inordinate delay in the process of rebuilding, there is little likelihood of the students gravitating to these schools for admission.

Of late, the Government had issued appointment letters to the TET qualified teachers to many of these teacher – deficient schools. However, in some cases the entire exercise has proven to be a damp squib simply because they were appointed not as per requirements. For instance, if one institution needs high school science teachers, what the education department does is contrary to it. This has considerably affected the interests of the students and is a serious matter which should have been taken note of while issuing these appointment letters.

There is, however, no gainsaying that the Centre’s two flagship schemes – the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and the Right to Education Act have immensely contributed to the improvement of attendance of students in these schools in the State. Excepting that, the SSA in particular has seldom done anything worth noting in terms of admission of good students in particular. By virtue of the mid – day – meal and free distribution of text books has sans doubt increased their enrolment up to middle school level. However when one takes a closer look it will be very clear that those who have enrolled belong mostly to the under – privileged classes or poverty – stricken families. Because of an inherent malnutrition in these students, they are not at all academically qualitatively as good as those from well – off or even lower – middle class families. As a result, their academic performance is not usually up to the mark.

Indeed, add to all this the problem of the teachers’ fraud – a scam as the State Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said not too long ago, has been revealed in Barpeta district where 200 teachers were found drawing salaries without conducting classes at their respective schools which is a crying shame. If what has been said by this minister is construed to be authentic, the need of the hour is to introduce a monitoring punch machine for attendance as early as possible. At least, this may help solve one of the many problems of the school education system in Assam.

Dwaipayan