Guwahati, Aug. 18 -- The All Assam Students' Union (AASU) has criticized the Assam government's plan to hire retired teachers for new model colleges, arguing it will deny job opportunities to thousands of qualified youth.

AASU held a meeting on Sunday with teachers' organizations to discuss the government's recruitment policy for model colleges.

The meeting opposed the decision to appoint retired teachers and also rejected the probation system for recruits. AASU also proposed alternative methods to hire experienced teachers.

Utpal Sarma, president of the AASU Central Committee, emphasized, "The state government must withdraw its decision to appoint retired teachers. If necessary, they can be engaged as mentors or visiting faculty, but ...