Guwahati: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the Assam State Primary Teachers’ Association have jointly urged the Assam government to revive scholarship examinations for Class 5 and Class 8 students, which have remained suspended since 2021.

At a press conference at Swahid Bhavan in Uzanbazar on Thursday, the two organisations said they had submitted a joint memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, seeking an explanation for the discontinuation of the examinations and demanding their immediate reinstatement.

AASU president Utpal Sarma said the government had discontinued a long-standing academic tradition without providing a satisfactory explanation.

“There is a long history of scholarship examinations in Assam. These examinations have evolved over the years, with students of different classes participating in them. The Class 5 and Class 8 examinations continued from 2012 until 2020, but the government suddenly discontinued them in 2021 without providing a convincing reason,” Sarma said.

He noted that the scholarship amount had increased from Rs 3 in the early years to Rs 5,000 when the examinations were last held.

Sarma also questioned the government’s argument that conducting the examinations involved a complicated process, maintaining that administrative difficulties could not justify their discontinuation.

He further pointed to government spending on advertisements, claiming that around Rs 450 crore had been spent on publicity between 2021 and 2026.

“If the government can spend such a huge amount on advertisements, it cannot cite financial constraints as a reason for not conducting the examinations,” he said.

According to Sarma, the examinations served a purpose beyond providing financial assistance, as they encouraged students to study harder and fostered a healthy spirit of competition.

He said the government’s welfare initiatives, including the Nijut Moina and Nijut Babu schemes, were welcome, but questioned why schoolchildren had been deprived of the scholarship examinations.

AASU chief adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharyya also called for the examinations to be reinstated, expressing hope that the government would take an early decision.

Bhattacharyya questioned whether the examinations had been discontinued because schoolchildren did not constitute a voting group, arguing that policies should not overlook students’ interests.

The Assam State Primary Teachers’ Association backed AASU’s demand and warned that it would join protests if the government failed to act.

The two organisations urged the government to clarify its position and restore the examinations, stressing their importance in motivating students and strengthening academic engagement across the state.