The Assam Legislative Assembly reported significant challenges in the state’s educational system, including a total of 2,670 single-teacher primary schools and over 13,000 schools operating without permanent headmasters. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu responded to MLA Akhil Gogoi, noting that although all government primary schools had teachers in the 2025-26 period, many schools still function with a limited number of educators. Specifically, 4,041 five-class schools have five or more teachers (excluding headmasters), while 1,733 six-class schools meet the same requirement.
Infrastructure issues were also highlighted, with only 5,083 five-class schools containing the adequate number of classrooms and just 1,530 six-class schools conforming to prescribed classroom norms. Notably, 21,839 schools do not meet these standards.
A considerable number of vacancies were noted: 13,614 primary schools and 3,402 upper primary schools lack permanent headmasters. Additionally, there are 4,805 vacant subject teacher positions in upper primary schools, while high schools account for 7,396 vacancies across various subjects, including science and mathematics. In the Sixth Schedule districts, there are notable vacancies as well, with 713 in high schools and 76 in higher secondary schools.
The UDISE+ data indicated a decline in the total number of government educational institutions in Assam, dropping from 52,228 in 2016-17 to 44,300 in 2024-25, primarily due to the government’s school merger policy. Despite the assertion that all primary schools have teachers, the figures presented raise significant concerns regarding staffing levels, institutional leadership, and the availability of adequate infrastructure within Assam’s educational landscape.
