Assam’s school count drops to 44,743 due to mergers: Minister Pegu

Guwahati, Mar 7: The number of schools in Assam has decreased from 44,826 in 2021-22 to 44,743 in 2023-24, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said in response to a question raised by Congress MLA Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam in the Assembly on Thursday.

Pegu also noted that no school in Assam has been closed down in recent times. But through amalgamation and merger and due to other reasons, some schools were shifted, and classes of students of the respective school are underway in other nearby schools, he said.

Further, Dr. Pegu informed that as per UDISE data, Assam has altogether 5,833 venture schools. Among them, 2,340 have less than 30 students.

The Education Department has submitted a proposal to the Finance Department to appoint head teachers in 2,993 lower primary schools in Assam, the Education Minister said in his reply to another question raised by MLA Mazibur Rahman in the Assembly.

Minister Pegu, in the written reply, further informed that the department has also chalked out an SOP to appoint the senior-most teacher of the respective school as head teacher in the remaining lower primary schools.

On another question related to his department, the education minister informed the House that a Cabinet subcommittee is considering alternatives for provincialisation of colleges in the state.

Replying to another question by MLA Dipayan Chakraborty, the minister informed the House that the Department of School Education and Higher Education department have no plans to establish or support skill-orientated coaching centres in schools and colleges to prepare students for competitive examinations, such as UPSC, APSC, SSC, Bank, TET, ADRE, and other government recruitment examinations.

By

Staff Reporter