Post by : Rameen Ariff

A serious infrastructure gap has come to light in Assam’s government schools, especially in rural and ‘char’ (river island) areas. On Thursday, the state assembly was informed that nearly 1,400 primary and mid-level schools do not have proper drinking water or toilet facilities for students.

During the session, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu shared detailed data on the condition of schools in these regions. He explained that:

1. 347 schools have no drinking water facility at all
2. 809 schools do not have any toilet facilities
3. 134 schools have drinking water systems that are not working
4. 101 schools have toilets that are currently not functional

The minister assured that departments are working to improve basic facilities, but the shortage remains a major challenge for students who depend on government schools in remote areas.

Along with infrastructure problems, the minister revealed a huge shortage of teachers. Across all government schools in ‘char’ and rural regions, 27,936 teaching posts are vacant. The breakdown includes:

1. 12,382 vacancies in Middle English (ME) schools
2. 8,251 vacancies in Lower Primary (LP) schools
3. 7,303 vacancies in Upper Primary (UP) schools

Recruitment for some positions is underway. Verification of documents for 4,500 LP teacher posts in general areas is currently in progress. The Secondary Education Directorate has also conducted recruitment to fill 9,717 teacher posts in the state.

The data highlights the urgent need for improved infrastructure and more teachers to ensure quality education for students in the most underserved parts of Assam.