Guwahati, July 10: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered an inquiry into the issuance of a circular by the office of the director of higher education that stated that permanent residential certificates (PRCs) were not mandatory for appointment of assistant professors, librarians, Grade-III and Grade-IV posts in Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Adarsha Mahavidyalayas (PDUAMs), Government Model Colleges (GMCs) and provincialised colleges.
“Enquire further on what authority the director of higher education issued this circular. Such a circular could only have been issued by the government, not by a directorate,” the chief minister stated on Wednesday .
The notice, issued to the principals of the colleges earlier this month, was withdrawn on Wednesday after the education minister instructed the office of the director of higher education, Assam, to withdraw the same immediately.
“The notice pertaining to PRC was issued by the director of higher education (DHE) without approval of the government. The DHE has been instructed to withdraw the notice immediately,” Assam education minister Ranoj Pegu said earlier in the day.
Notably, the circular issued by the DHE had evoked criticism from several quarters with the All Assam Students Union (AASU) condemning the move and asking the government to be “more responsible towards local people.”
The influential students’ union had also demanded that the circular be repealed with immediate effect.
