The Assam Assembly on Saturday passed six education bills amidst an opposition walkout . The passage occurred on the final day of the Winter Session in Guwahati. Opposition members alleged ruling party legislators entered the House after the Speaker ordered all doors closed for voting on amendments.
Procedural Dispute and Walkout
After over four hours of debate on four bills, opposition members expressed dissatisfaction. Congress, CPI(M), and Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi stated none of their proposed amendments were accepted by the government. Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia of the Congress demanded a vote on these amendments, supported by CPI(M) MLA Manoranjan Talukdar and the Independent member.
As Speaker Biswajit Daimary began the process for passing the bills, Saikia confirmed the opposition would not withdraw their amendments. Daimary then ordered the immediate closing of all House doors, prohibiting entry or exit for MLAs. However, opposition benches alleged approximately 10 ruling BJP legislators entered the House after this order. The treasury benches refuted this charge. The Speaker maintained he was unaware of any late entry.
Following this, opposition members moved to the Well of the House and staged a walkout. Earlier in the session, members of the AIUDF were suspended for displaying placards. Their placards expressed concerns over the future of teachers and educational institutions.
Rejected Amendments and Minister’s Stance
The opposition’s proposed amendments included several key changes. They sought a relaxation of the cut-off year for provincialisation of educational institutions and teacher posts. They also aimed to reduce minimum enrollment criteria and include madrassas under the acts. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, in his reply, stated these changes could not be made due to potential legal problems.
Bills Passed
In the absence of opposition members, the House proceeded to pass the six education bills. Four of these were amendment bills:
- 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
- Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Non-teaching Staff of Venture Educational Institutions) (Amendment) Bill, 2025
Additionally, two other bills, also moved by Minister Pegu, were passed by a voice vote. These were the Azim Premji University Bill, 2025 , and The North Eastern Regional Institute of Management (NERIM) University Bill, 2025 . All six bills were passed on the last day of the Winter Session.