Assam Assembly passes 6 education bills amid opposition walkout

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly on Saturday passed six bills related to the Education department amid a walkout by opposition members who alleged that ruling party legislators had entered the House after the Speaker ordered closure of all doors for voting on amendments moved by them.

After over four hours of debate on four bills moved by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, Congress, CPI(M) and Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi expressed dissatisfaction that not even a single amendment brought by them was accepted by the government.

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia of the Congress demanded voting on the amendments, supported by CPI(M) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar and the Independent member. As Speaker Biswajit Daimary began the process of passing the bills, Saikia said they will not be withdrawing the proposed amendments.

Daimary ordered immediate closing of all doors of the House, barring any MLA from leaving or entering. However, the opposition benches alleged that about 10 ruling BJP legislators entered the House even after the Speaker's order. The treasury benches, however, refuted the charge.

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Opposition moves 'Well of the House', staged protest

As the Speaker maintained he was unaware of any late entry, opposition members moved to the Well of the House and staged a walkout. Earlier, the members of the AIUDF were suspended for displaying placards, citing concerns over the future of teachers and educational institutions.

Among the amendments moved by the opposition were relaxation of cut-off year for provincialisation of educational institutions and posts of teachers, bringing down minimum enrollment criteria and inclusion of madrassas under the acts. Minister Pegu, in his reply, maintained that these changes cannot be made as it will entail legal problems.

In the absence of any opposition member, the House passed The Assam Non-governmental Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Assam Education (Provincialisation of Teachers and Re-organisation of Educational Institutions) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Assam Elementary and Secondary School Teachers (Regulation of Posting and Transfer) (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Non-teaching Staff of Venture Educational Institutions) (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

Along with these four bills, two others - Azim Premji University Bill, 2025, and The North Eastern Regional Institute of Management (NERIM) University Bill, 2025 -- also moved by Pegu, were passed by a voice vote on the last day of the Winter Session.