Assam govt to merge Class 10, 12 boards to set up one new body

GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Thursday announced its decision to consolidate the state boards for Class 10 and 12 into a unified entity.
During a session of the state cabinet, presided over by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the resolution to merge the Class 10 and 12 state boards into a singular entity was formally adopted.
As per a cabinet communique shared by Sarma on X, the merger will involve combining the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA), and the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) to establish a new entity named the Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB).
SEBA is responsible for conducting the Class 10 board examinations, whereas the AHSEC oversees the Class 12 tests.
The cabinet made the decision to merge the longstanding bodies with the aim of "developing, regulating, and supervising the standards and quality of school education," as stated in the communique.
The decision follows approximately eight months after the leakage of at least two question papers during the Class 10 board examinations.
In March of this year, question papers for General Science and Assamese were reported to have been leaked, with additional claims of question leaks for a few other subjects.
Due to this incident, SEBA was compelled to reschedule the examinations for General Science and all subjects of Modern Indian Languages (MIL), which included Assamese and English.
Additionally, the cabinet sanctioned amendments to various rules governing the recruitment of school teachers at different levels.
These changes were intended to uphold the student-teacher ratio and ensure the optimal utilization of manpower in the education sector.
Furthermore, the council of ministers granted ex-post facto approval for the establishment of the Khasi-Jaintia Development Council.
In a bid to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, the government has opted to implement a two-percentage-point reduction on the prevailing duties on Motor Vehicle Tax (non-transport) for purchases made until March 31, 2025.
The cabinet also approved the scheduling of the Budget Session for 2024-25 of the Assam Assembly, slated to commence from February 5 next year.
With agency inputs