July 14: The students’ unions of city-based commerce colleges have decided to form a joint platform to popularise commerce education among school as well as college students.

The Gauhati Commerce College Students’ Union (GCCSU) has already submitted a memorandum to the education department and demanded introduction of management, book-keeping and accountancy as optional subjects in Classes IX and X.

There are more than 10 commerce colleges in the city. The proposed platform will also place a demand for opening commerce classes for a limited number of students in Cotton College.

“We had met former education minister Pankaj Bora and raised the issue of popularising commerce education in the state. He had responded well to the proposal of introducing management and book keeping as optional subjects in the school curriculum,” general secretary of GCCSU, Bidyut Chakravarty, said.

He said it was unfortunate that at a time when the unemployment problem has assumed alarming proportions in Assam, the government is not giving due importance to commerce education. “Pursuing a science course is a must if you want to become a doctor or an engineer. But not everybody will be one. In today’s changed economic and market scenario a commerce degree can open the floodgates of employment as well as generate self-employment opportunities.”

Dispur College has extended its support to the GCCSU’s move to launch the joint platform. Arup Kalita, general secretary of Dispur College Students’ Union said the interest commerce education among students had gone up considerably.

Chairman of Board of Secondary Education, Assam (Seba) D.. Barman welcomed the move to launch a joint platform and said the board was also contemplating to introduce new job-oriented subjects in the school syllabus.

Barman, however, reserved his comment on the demand to introduce book-keeping and management as optional subjects in Classes IX and X.

According to figures available with the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) the number of students studying in the commerce stream at the plus two level has gone up and their performance in the Class XII examination is improving with each passing year.

The GCCSU has submitted a separate memorandum to the government demanding a policy to give preference to commerce graduates in government jobs.