Assam's school education system faces mounting challenges with 60,032 vacant teaching posts, nearly 8,000 schools failing to meet student-teacher norms, and over 32,000 schools having fewer than 30 students. Meanwhile, around 25,000 educational institutions have applied for provincialisation. The government says recruitment and scrutiny of applications are underway.

Guwahati: 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.