Christians in Assam Raise Concerns Over Proposed Education Law Targeting Minority-Run Schools

Christian leaders in Assam have strongly criticized the proposed Assam Private Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Amendment Bill, 2025, warning that it threatens long-standing constitutional protections granted to minority-run educational institutions in India. The bill, cleared by the state cabinet and introduced in the Assembly on Nov. 27, has sparked widespread concern among Christian organizations and school administrators.

Archbishop John Moolachira of Guwahati, president of the North East India Regional Bishops' Council and the Assam Christian Forum (ACF), called the bill a “direct attack” on Christian educational institutions that have served students of all backgrounds for decades. He noted that these schools “are helping nation-building, not operating for profit,” and warned that excessive government control could undermine their autonomy or even force closures.

According to the ACF, the bill grants the state broad powers to fix fees, monitor fee collection, and intervene in school administration, contradicting constitutional guarantees that allow religious and linguistic minorities to independently manage their educational institutions. Critics argue that such provisions could dilute the unique identity and quality of Christian schools, which have been instrumental in improving literacy and educational opportunities across Assam.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, defending the amendment, stated that the law aims to create an equitable fee-regulation framework and includes a mandated 25% fee reduction for rural schools. However, Christian leaders say the move continues a pattern of restrictive actions, citing the earlier Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Act, 2024, which they believe disproportionately targets Christian prayer-based healing practices.

Rev. Bernard K. Marak, ACF vice chairman and general secretary of the Assam Baptist Convention, emphasized that Christian institutions historically “created opportunities where none existed,” especially in remote tribal and rural areas once considered neglected. Missionary-run schools, established nearly a century ago, helped raise literacy rates from near zero to over 70%, producing leaders, professionals, and educators who shaped the region’s development.

Christians constitute 3.74% of Assam’s 31 million population, higher than the national average of 2.3%, reflecting the region’s deep-rooted Christian heritage. Northeast India is home to India’s three Christian-majority states — Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya — with significant Christian populations also present in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Christian leaders argue that imposing tighter controls now “betrays the spirit of the Constitution” and risks eroding a system that has empowered marginalized communities for generations.