Bodoland University bars students to write exams in Assamese

Bodoland University in Assam's Kokrajhar has banned the Assamese language as a medium of writing exam papers. A notification to this effect was issued by the university.

Rowta: In a blow to the Assamese language, Bodoland University in Assam's Kokrajhar has issued a notification, banning the language as a medium of writing papers for students. Following the notification, the students taking the university examination will have to write their exams in the English language.

Students pursuing undergraduate (UG) courses at the university have been barred from writing exams in the Assamese language. A notification to this effect was issued by the Academic Registrar of the university on June 26.

In the notification, it was stated that the decision was taken at the Academic Council meeting of the university held on March 28, 2023. The decision was approved by the university's vice-chancellor. As per the notification, the students enrolled in professional UG courses as well as major or honours courses at the university as well as those studying in 59 affiliated colleges will write papers in the English language.

The notification further stated that examinees will be allowed to write papers in the Assamese language for general or generic courses in a phased manner depending upon the availability of course material.

Following the decision, there was an uproar in the Bodoland territory. Members of several student organizations reacted strongly to the development. They said that if the decision was not withdrawn within 24 hours, the student organizations will resort to agitation in the coming days. Bodoland University was established in 2009. The institution is a public state collegiate university located in the Kokrajhar district of Assam. It is the first university in the Bodoland territorial region as well as the lower Assam region.