‘Once among Asia’s best, now in chaos’: Gaurav Gogoi on fall of Assam’s premier universities

Assam's premier universities are deteriorating under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's watch, with political appointments superseding merit-based selections, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Gaurav Gogoi claimed on January 3.

Highlighting recent turmoil at Tezpur University during a press conference in Tinsukia, Gogoi contrasted its current state with its former standing. During the Congress rule, he noted, the university ranked amongst the leading institutions not only in India but across Asia.

"Today, while the government boasts of providing small monthly assistance to students, the education system itself has been crippled," he alleged.

The Congress leader painted a bleak picture of higher education across the region. "Higher education institutions across Assam and the entire Northeast are sliding towards destruction. Everyone has seen the present condition of Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University. A similar atmosphere of chaos prevails even at NEHU in Shillong," Gogoi said.

He attributed the decline to what he termed politically motivated appointments, arguing that handing educational institutions to BJP associates without considering qualifications would not improve the country's education system. Merely offering financial schemes to students whilst institutional frameworks collapse serves no purpose, he suggested.

Gogoi's criticism extended beyond education to broader governance issues. He accused the BJP government of lacking vision beyond converting women and economically backward sections into scheme beneficiaries rather than facilitating genuine economic independence.