Assam govt in Assembly: 30,000+ schools have 30 students each; 60,000 teaching posts vacant
Guwahati, July 10
Assam's school education sector continues to grapple with a severe shortage of teachers and declining student enrolment, even as nearly 25,000 educational institutions have applied to the state government for provincialisation, highlighting the challenges before the Education Department.
The issue figured prominently in the Assam Legislative Assembly, where the state government placed figures indicating that thousands of schools across the state are functioning with inadequate manpower while a large number of institutions are seeking government recognition and financial support.
According to official data shared by the Education Minister in the House, each of the 32,321 schools has fewer than 30 students, reflecting a steady decline in enrolment in several parts of the state.
The education department also informed the Assembly that there are 60,032 vacant teaching posts in schools, affecting the quality of education and increasing the workload on existing teachers. Further, 7,948 schools are reportedly functioning without the prescribed student-teacher ratio, raising concerns over compliance with education norms and the effective implementation of classroom teaching.
Despite these challenges, the government has received applications from nearly 25,000 educational institutions seeking provincialisation.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu informed the Assembly that the online portal opened for provincialisation witnessed applications from thousands of institutions, including lower primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary schools.
According to the data placed before the House, 6,163 lower primary schools, 10,101 upper primary schools, 5,733 high schools and 1,222 senior secondary schools have applied for provincialisation.
The Minister said the applications are being examined in accordance with the provisions of the Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Reorganisation of Educational Institutions) Act and relevant rules.
He also informed the House that recruitment of teachers and principals in government schools is being undertaken in line with court directions and the state's recruitment policy.
The opposition, however, expressed concern over the growing number of schools with low enrolment and the large number of teacher vacancies, arguing that the situation poses a major challenge to improving learning outcomes in government schools.
The government maintained that measures are being taken to rationalise resources, fill vacant posts and strengthen the school education system across Assam.
— IANS
Reader Comments
60,000 teacher vacancies is shocking! Our children are the future and we're failing them. The government talks about provincialisation but what about quality? My cousin teaches in a government school in Jorhat and she handles 4 subjects because there's no one else. This is a crisis that needs urgent attention. 😤
I don't understand why everyone is blaming only the government. Parents in Assam need to send their children to school first! These 30-student schools show that families prefer private schools or don't value education. And teacher vacancies - yes, that's a problem, but recruitment processes are slow because of court cases. Let's be practical about solutions instead of just complaining.
As someone from Assam, this is heartbreaking. I studied in a government school in Dibrugarh and we had excellent teachers. Now my niece goes to a government school and there are only 15 students in her class. The teacher is good but overworked. Government should merge these small schools and create better facilities instead of keeping them running with no students. 🏫
The real issue is that government schools have become 'last resort' institutions. Middle class families send kids to private English medium schools, and poor families' children drop out to work. This data just confirms what we already knew - our education system needs massive overhaul, not just more teachers. We need better infrastructure, updated curriculum, and proper monitoring. 🤷♂️
I'm a teacher in Assam and let me tell
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