Five Assam Colleges to get University Status

Guwahati: The Assam Government has announced that five autonomous colleges in the state will soon be upgraded to university status. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday stated that JB College in Jorhat, Lakhimpur College in Lakhimpur, Nowgong College in Nagaon, Sibsagar College in Sivasager and Handique Girls College in Guwahati will be given the University Status in the next two years.

The Chief Minister also stated that the new national education policy 2020 has been adapted to the times by incorporating the new scientific thinking of the 21^st century. "This policy is also synchronized with the basic tenets of India’s civilization which is based on the foundation of knowledge and wisdom", he added.

The Chief Minister said this while taking part at the North East Education Summit organized by the Department of Education, Government of India and Sankardeva Education and Research Institute at Guwahati Medical College Hospital Auditorium today.

While beginning his speech with a Sanskrit sloka “विद्याधन सर्वधनात् प्रधानम्”, the Chief Minister also quoted Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who said, “The end-product of education should be a free creative man, who can battle against historical circumstances and adversities of nature”.

Chief Minister Sarma further said that the NEP 2020 gives the students an opportunity to go beyond mark-sheets to strive for knowledge. He said that NEP 2020 will help to make India more powerful, take the country to greater heights, empower students and afford them opportunities to grow. He also viewed that this will free the student community from the rat race and inculcate creative and innovative thinking in them.

The Chief Minister also hoped that the conclave would result in finalizing a roadmap for implementation of NEP in the region to convert the policy into action and set timelines to realize the dream of a new India.

He informed about various steps taken including constitution of High level Committee, implementation plan for NEP, process undertaken for upgrading North Lakhimpur College, Nagaon College, JB College, Sibsagar College and Handique Girls College to the level of a university.