Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated six newly constructed tea garden model schools in Sonitpur district on Thursday and commented that in the last 75 years of independence only primary schools and a limited number of ME schools were established in the tea plantation areas of the State.
The tea gardens where the model schools were inaugurated include Arun tea garden (Dhekiajuli), Adabari and Sonabeel tea garden (Rangapara), Kettla and Jingia tea garden (Behali) and Pabhoi tea garden (Biswanath constituency of the district).
“Due to non-availability of high schools in the tea garden areas, many students left school midway which led to increased drop-out rate. Hence the State government decided to set up one high school covering 2-3 tea gardens in Assam,” said Sarma.
He also added that several tea garden model schools were opened last year in Sonitpur district and a large number of students were enrolled in those institutes. Sarma revealed that the government has established 118 model schools in the tea plantation areas and these schools would facilitate a better academic environment for the students to march ahead in life.
Underlining various steps taken by the government for advancement of the students in tea garden areas, Sarma informed that 30 seats have been reserved for tea community students to study in medical colleges of Assam. He also assured that seats for girl students from the tea community to study nursing courses would be reserved.
Moreover, a college would be set up at Rangapara providing better opportunities for higher education for the students of the community. He said that 3-4 percent of government jobs will also be reserved for the youth of the tea garden community from this year. He urged parents to focus on the education of their children to avail these opportunities.
Sarma took a mid-day meal with the students of Adabari tea garden model school and interacted with them. In presence of State minister Ashok Singhal, Parliamentarian Pallab Lochan Das, legislators Krishna Kamal Tanti, Ganesh Limbu, Ranjit Dutta, Utpal Bora, Pramod Borthakur, Prithviraj Rabha with many other dignitaries, he also declared that a skill development centre would be set up in the the area very soon.
