Unemployment has been a big problem in Assam: CM

Guwahati: Unemployment has been one of the biggest problems facing Assam and that imparting modern skill to youths can eradicate it to a large extent, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said.
 
"Lack of expertise among our youths means that we have to bring even semi-skilled workers from other states for working in major projects like Gas Cracker in Lepetkata. We need to change the pattern of education and put more emphasis on skill development," he said at a programme here.
 
"The state government is planning to upgrade ITIs and all such centres within the 12th Plan period and our target is to get over the problem of skill shortage within the next five years," he said.
 
He said that with the change in habit and rise in income levels, demand for professionals in service like plumbing, fashion, furniture making, agri-industry and vehicle repair and maintenance.
 
Assam government is planning to set up multi-disciplinary skill training centres in all the 219 blocks across  the state within the current 12th Five Year Plan period (2012-17), State Industry and Commerce Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said in the programme.
 
The first five such centres will be operational within months and 23 will be operatinal by end of the current financial year, he said.
 
"Training will be provided by private sector groups  with expertise in the relevant trades. We have identified 50 trades, which are not taught in ITIs, which will be taken up at multi-disciplinary centres," Bordoloi said. 
 
The first five centres will come up at Guwahati, Margherita, Bilasipara, Bajiagaon and Badarpur Ghat. Trades like oil rig and well management, agriculture implements manufacturing, bamboo crafts, drilling, digital videography, masonry, refrigerator and AC repairing, travel and tourism guide and toy making will be part of the curriculum.
 
"In 2012-13, we are looking to train 1,600 youths and some among them would be sent for higher training to National Academy of Construction, Hyderabad, and National centre for Design and Product Development, New Delhi," Bordoloi said. 

Examination special train from Assam

Guwahati: The Northeast Frontier Railway will run a special train from Dibrugarh in upper Assam to Yesvantpur for students of the region and north Bengal to write medical and engineering entrance tests in Bengaluru.
 
One examination special train will ply on May 1, N-F Railway chief public relation officer S S Hajong said here.
 
Another will leave on May seven, while the return 02509 special train will leave Yesvantpur on May seven and reach Dibrugarh on May 10, Hajong said.
 
Every year thousands of students from the region aspiring for medical and engineering careers go to Bengaluru to take joint entrance tests there, Hajong said. 

Assam to give scholarship to young litterateurs

Guwahati: The Assam government announced a scholarship scheme for promising litterateurs with a view to promote research and writing on indigenous issues.

Under the scheme, young litterateurs would be eligible for scholarship of up to Rs 1 lakh for undertaking basic research and the state government would also help them to get their works published.

“For youngsters it is very difficult to undertake research and writing. With an intention to help them, we are launching a scholarship scheme and 100 youngsters would be selected every year for this scheme,” Assam Education Minister and government spokesperson Himanta Biwsa Sarma told reporters here.

He said that the litterateurs would also receive 40 per cent royalty in case they decide to have their completed works published by the state-run Prakashan Parishad.

Sarma also said that government will also start a special healthcare scheme for writers and litterateurs to help them in time of physical ailment. “A fund pool would be created for this purpose by our government,” he said.

Assam govt proposed to set up minority university

Guwahati: Assam government has sent a proposal to the Centre for setting up a university for minorities, who constitute about 30 per cent of the state's population.

"The proposal was made to Union Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal recently and he has assured us about looking into the issue," state Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
    
The proposal was put before Sibal during the recent meeting of education ministers in New Delhi, he said.
    
Under it Assam would have an university on the lines of Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia, which have been granted the status of minority university.
    
"Institutions like AMU and Jamia have set up standards of excellence in education. We need to emulate the practice," Sarma said.
    
Besides, Assam has also demanded that the Centre provide financial assistance to state universities in line with central universities to make them more competitive, he added. 

40,800 teachers to be appointed in Assam by May

Guwahati: Around 28,000 teachers will soon be appointed on contractual basis and 12,800 teachers on a permanent basis, Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah said today.

At present there are 90,000 posts of teachers lying vacant in the state and initially 40,800 teachers would be appointed by May this year, Sarmah told reporters.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court's verdict vacating the ban imposed by Guwahati High Court on teachers recruitment in the state yesterday has facilitated this.

The process of appointment of contractual teachers will begin from February 15 and the process is expected to be completed before the Bihu festival in April.

The process of appointment of permanent basis will begin thereafter and the entire process was expected to be completed by May 15 this year.

The apex court bench headed by Justice Deepak Verma had set aside the High Court order of March 5, 2010 on a petition filed by the Assam government contending that the ban was causing difficulties in the running of elementary schools to fulfill the mandate of compulsory education under the Right to Education Act.

Around 52,000 candidates have qualified in the first-ever Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) conducted by the state government in January this year.