As a preventive measure to arrest the spread of Covid-19 in the State, all the elementary/secondary schools and higher educational institutions have been closed down from March 16 to March 29 as per an order issued by the Education department. The institution heads and school teachers were also directed to create awareness among students, parents and community members to prevent or reduce transmission of the deadly corona virus in the respective habitations of the schools during the said period.
However, the Education department felt that closure of schools may create learning gaps among school children and there is a possibility some of them may drop out. So in order to plug the learning gaps and reduce the probability of dropout, the department has proposed some initiatives.
As part of these, institution heads/school teachers will open WhatsApp groups with parents/guardians. Groups may be opened class wise, if number of students and teachers are more in the school. Other free technologies like Google Classroom etc should be explored in future and feedback of the same needs to be shared with the Education department.
For parents/guardians who do not have smartphone facility, schools may identify some local youths of the habitations who have smartphones with the support of SMC/SMDC/MG/concerned CRCC, and request them to provide support to such parents/guardians.
Teachers have been instructed to provide necessary learning support through phone based learning materials, including homework. Students will do the homeworks and teachers will check the answers in WhatsApp itself, and by visiting children who need special attention. Teachers can also share short videos on academic areas and upload it to WhatsApp. Teachers have also been instructed to conduct home visits to students in general and those with learning issues in particular. The academic support may be provided by teachers through phone/WhatsApp during morning hours from 7 am to 9 am or evening hours from 7 pm to 9 pm.
Sarupathar, August 31: The agitation by Naga groups along the Assam-Nagaland border has seen a sharp increase, severely disrupting the lives of local Assamese residents. The escalating unrest has been marked by repeated claims over Assam’s land by Naga factions, including demands for shares of farmers' crops and intimidation of villagers in border areas such as Uriamghat's Raja Pukhuri No. 1 village. The Naga groups assert that the land belonged to their forefathers and call for recognition of their rights, demanding contracts and taxes from Assamese farmers cultivating the disputed land.
Following eviction drives by the Assam government to reclaim encroached lands, Naga activists have...
A fierce political confrontation unfolded at Rajiv Bhawan, the Congress headquarters in Guwahati, as a large group of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, workers, and supporters staged a provocative protest, allegedly targeting Congress leaders and their banners with violence. The incident marks a significant escalation in political tensions between Assam’s main rival parties ahead of the 2026 elections.
BJP agitators broke barricades set up by police and tore down Congress banners and posters displayed outside Rajiv Bhawan. The banners included images of key Congress figures such as state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, opposition leader Debabrata Saikia, and Assam Pradesh Mahila...
Guwahati: The Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has once again landed in controversy, this time over allegations of a newborn baby being swapped. The family of Priyanka Sharma, a woman from Dhupdhara in Goalpara district, has accused hospital staff of replacing their healthy baby with another infant.
According to the family, Priyanka was advised a cesarean delivery but ultimately gave birth through normal delivery. After the birth, the family claimed they saw the baby, who appeared healthy. However, soon after, neither the mother nor other relatives were allowed to see the newborn. When the family inquired, doctors assured them that the child was in good health.
Shock came...
Mizoram has reaffirmed its stand on the 1875 notification as the only legitimate boundary with Assam, rejecting the 1933 Survey of India map cited by Assam. Home Minister K. Sapdanga told the Assembly that the colonial-era demarcation, drawn after consultation with local chiefs, remains binding.
Talks between the two states have stretched across decades, with the last round held in Guwahati in April. The next meeting is to take place in Aizawl, though no date has been fixed. Mizoram has set up a study team to compile archival records to back its claim.
On the ground, tensions persist. In mid-August, Mizoram villagers accused Assam officials of damaging nearly 300 rubber plants in...
In a bid to ease tensions along the Assam–Arunachal boundary, senior officials from both states held a joint meeting at Narayanpur in Assam’s Lakhimpur district on Thursday, adopting a series of measures to improve coordination and maintain peace.
The meeting was attended by officials from Assam’s Lakhimpur and Biswanath districts and Arunachal’s Papum Pare district. Both sides agreed to stop all new construction and encroachment until the final demarcation of the interstate boundary is completed. To ensure smoother communication, the states will appoint nodal officers as official points of contact, while a dedicated WhatsApp group will be created to allow quick information-sharing among...
Assam has been ranked among the bottom five states of the country in crucial development indicators including health, education and economic growth, according to a fresh NITI Aayog assessment.
The report placed Assam 26th in health and well-being, 25th in education, and 23rd in economic development. On gender equality and zero hunger, the state was positioned at 25th and 22nd respectively.
The poor performance has raised concern over the state’s planning and budgetary priorities, despite official claims of inclusive growth. Experts have pointed out that school enrolment, institutional health services and poverty reduction continue to remain below the national average.
NITI Aayog’s...
Guwahati, August 23: The Rotary Club of Guwahati, in collaboration with the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Ltd. (NERAMAC), organized a major plantation and sapling distribution initiative this week.
On Tuesday, August 21, a total of 3,000 medicinal and fruit-bearing saplings were distributed among local villagers of Bijoynagar and adjoining areas at the premises of 28 Nahira Primary School and Kongdang Primary School. The program witnessed enthusiastic participation from villagers, teachers, Rotarians, and NERAMAC officials.
Continuing the green initiative, a tree plantation drive was also conducted on Friday, August 22, at the NERAMAC office premises...
The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), a global media safety and rights organization, has strongly condemned the misuse of the “PRESS” symbol by armed combatants in conflict zones such as Syria and Gaza. The PEC expressed deep concern over incidents where individuals posing as journalists have used the emblem as a shield for violent activities.
In southern Syria, Islamist fighters were seen wearing jackets marked “PRESS” while vandalizing a Druze household in Suwayda, as shown in a widely circulated video on social media. While PEC cannot independently verify the authenticity of the video, it emphasizes that under no circumstances should the press emblem be used as cover for armed combatants...
The number of journalists killed worldwide has surged dramatically in the first half of 2025, according to the Press Emblem Campaign (PEC). Since January, 86 media workers have been killed across 26 countries, marking a 16% increase compared to the same period last year.
Gaza: Epicenter of the Crisis
The ongoing conflict in Gaza is the primary driver behind this spike. At least 31 Palestinian journalists were killed in six months by the Israeli army, accounting for more than a third of the global toll.
“The Israeli government is directly responsible for this tragedy, which targets civilians reporting on the situation in Gaza. The Israeli soldiers involved in these war crimes must...
Guwahati: – A transformative capacity-building workshop, “Learning from the Land: Participatory Knowledge Harvest from Assam and Meghalaya,” was held at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati Off-Campus, on Friday, June 27, 2025. Organized by TISS in collaboration with UNDP-SGP, the event brought together over 50 NGOs from Assam and Meghalaya to exchange grassroots knowledge and strategies for sustainable land use, agroecological practices, and environmental conservation.
The workshop aimed to empower local communities by enhancing skills in biodiversity conservation, land restoration, rural development, sustainability, and climate change adaptation. Prof. Jagannath Ambagudia...
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