Staff Reporter
Guwahati: It is a matter of consternation that Assam witnessed a decrease of 7919 government schools in the past ten years. On the other hand, the state saw a notable rise of 2171 private schools.
From 2014-15 to 2023-24, the number of state-run schools dropped from 52,927 to 45,008, whereas the number of private schools increased from 3,554 to 5,725 during the same period, reflecting the growing demand for alternative educational options.
The issue emerged during the reply of Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Jayant Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha, in reply to a question on the number of government schools closed or merged during the last ten years in the country and the number of private schools opened during this period.
It should also be noted that a large number of government and provincialized schools in Assam were either merged or amalgamated by the state government, which also affected the number of government schools. This was done after a decision by the state government to merge or amalgamate schools having a low number of students with those in nearby areas.
Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary, in his reply in the Lok Sabha, said that the information on government schools is contained in the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) system.
The minister stated, "Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution, and the opening, closing, and rationalisation of schools are within the purview of the respective state government and UT administration. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, provides children's access to elementary schools within the defined area or limits of the neighbourhood. In pursuance of Section 6 of the RTE Act, all states have notified the area or limits of their neighbourhood norms. Further, the RTE Act, 2009, also mandates that the appropriate government shall provide free and compulsory elementary education to every child and will ensure the availability of neighbourhood schools."
Notably, there is a total of 45008 state-run schools in the state, of which 33940 are preparatory schools, 6173 are middle schools, and 4895 are secondary schools.
Similarly, of the total of 5725 private schools in the state, 604 are preparatory schools, 1483 are middle, and 3638 are secondary schools.
Also Read: Assam: School Dropout Rates Persist in Despite Government Efforts
Also Watch: