Bongaigaon, Jan. 2: The Bongaigaon unit of Asam Sahitya Sabha organised Setu Bandhan (bridging the gap) programme at Bongaigaon College today to connect the common people with the apex literary body and intensify its glory.

The Sabha initiated the programme as a part of its centenary celebrations in April last year in Tezpur to interact with the people to know their views and suggestions on the organisation so that it can broaden its base.

Sabha president Dhruba Jyoti Bora, the chief guest at the function, said affluent and middle class Assamese parents had posed an internal threat on Assamese by admitting their children to English-medium schools instead of vernacular-medium educational institutions.

The demand for implementing Assamese in state government offices had been raised since 1970, but it was not followed yet as 95 per cent Assamese employees, working in these offices, had no interest to use their mother tongue, he added.

Since many ineligible teachers were appointed in vernacular primary schools 20-30 years ago, they lowered the quality of education in these schools, which compelled many guardians to shift their children to private English-medium ones, said Bora.

He opined that the Teacher Eligibility Test should be reserved for those who passed their examinations in the first division to improve the quality of teaching in vernacular-medium schools.

Bora urged everyone to promote Assamese by using the language.

Terming the Sabha as the convergent of three mothers (biological mother, motherland and mother tongue), Sabha's general secretary Paramananda Rajbongshi said it served as a "transitional and national existence" of the Assamese.

"The state would be an English country soon unless the Assamese language is protected and promoted here," he added. He called upon the people to join the Sabha so that with the monetary contribution of its members, the organisation could carry out important work. Rajbongshi also asked the people to put forward their suggestions and views for the Sabha's development.

Bongaigaon deputy commissioner Biswajit Pegu lauded the Sabha and Bongaigaon College for taking the initiative to promote Assamese.

Bora released a book by Manik Sarma and a journal, Commercian, published by the commerce department of Bongaigaon College, during the programme.