Assam government to upgrade seven colleges to university status

Assam government have decided to upgrade seven state colleges to university status.

With this, the state will have 10 universities.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, "In our endeavour to make Assam an educational hub of Eastern India, we are planning to upgrade 7 colleges to university status. Once this happens, we would have established 10 new universities in the state since 2021. Yesterday, I met with the principals of these colleges."

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on July 10 stated that JB College in Jorhat, North Lakhimpur College in Lakhimpur, Nowgong College in Nagaon, Sibsagar College in Sivasager and Gurucharan College, Silchar, Bongaigaon College, Bongaigaon will be given the University Status.

Also Read: Assam: Scarcity of land delays university status to Handique Girls' College in Guwahati

However, as the Assam government is mulling introducing new bills to upgrade colleges in the state into universities, the hope of university status at Handique Girls' College seems to be a distant dream.

On June 16, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma amidst confusion related to proposed universities to make provisions for the accommodation of the concept of 'Constituent College', clarified that in the August assembly session, the Government of Assam will introduce bills to establish new universities in Sibsagar College, Kokrajhar Government College, Bongaigaon College, JB College-Jorhat, North Lakhimpur College, Nagaon College, and Gurucharan College.

However, the upgradation of Handique College will take time, as the college currently does not have adequate land. 

"We are finding land for Handique College," wrote Assam CM Sarma on his Twitter handle.

As per sources, currently, Handique Girls' College is catering education to around 2,700 students and the college being upgraded to a university would require more land in terms of infrastructure.

One of the officials from the Handique Girls' College speaking in anonymity said, "Even we have seen the tweet from the Assam chief minister, however, till now we haven't received any official communication from the government on the same."