The Assam government has proposed merging the state boards responsible for grade 10th and 12th education into one institution to streamline secondary education management. According to an official announcement, the Assam State School Education Board Bill 2024 was submitted in the Assembly, aiming to establish a new regulatory body to manage education up to grade 12 in the state.
Following the proposed bill, the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB) will be formed by unifying the existing entities, the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC). The legislation’s preamble states that its primary aim is to consolidate and enhance the regulation, monitoring, and development of secondary education in Assam.
The ASSEB will be headed by a government-appointed chairman, with individual vice-chairpersons overseeing various sections who are also government-nominated. The statement further mentioned that this new board will consist of 21 members serving three-year terms that are renewable for an additional period.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said in the statement of Object and Reasons for the Bill:
The objective is to introduce the Assam State School Education Board Bill, 2024, to develop, regulate and supervise the standards and quality of school education in Assam.
The merger decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting earlier in November last year, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Notably, the SEBA administers the Class 10 board examination, while the Class 12 examinations are looked after by the AHSEC.
The development comes after the leaking of at least two question papers in the Class 10 board examinations by SEBA in 2023. The general science and Assamese papers were leaked in March last year. This compelled the SEBA and the government to reschedule general science exams and all Modern Indian Languages (MIL) disciplines, including Assamese and English (IL).
