Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Project Approval Board (PAB) of Samagra Shiksha for the state of Assam has expressed concern over the declining enrolment in government schools in the state. Officials at a recent PAB meeting urged the state government to take corrective measures to improve the quality of education, increase enrolment, and reduce dropout rates.
The meeting was held under the aegis of the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L), Ministry of Education.
According to the PAB, Assam has 55,283 schools, of which 44,741 (80.9%) are government schools and 1,587 (2.9%) government-aided schools. However, the government schools cater to only 48,41,809 (68.8%) and aided schools to 1,35,354 (1.9%) of the state’s 70.42 lakh students, while 6,480 (11.7%) unaided schools provide education to 19,41,179 (27.6%) of the total enrolled students. The Board observed that this disparity may reflect a negative perception among parents regarding the quality of education in government schools and recommended a detailed evaluation.
The Board also noted a decline in enrolment in government and aided schools, which fell from 51,89,931 in 2023-24 to 49,77,163 in 2024-25, and asked the state to identify the reasons behind the trend.
Reviewing enrolment indicators, the PAB observed that Assam’s Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) stood at 53.2 at the foundational level, 108.4 at the preparatory level, 91.1 at the middle level, and 61.5 at the secondary level during 2024-25. While appreciating the performance at the preparatory and middle levels, it stressed the need to improve GER at the foundational and secondary stages and work towards achieving 100% enrolment across all levels.
The Board also highlighted that the Net Enrolment Ratio (NER) remains significantly lower, particularly at the secondary level, where it stands at 49.8. It advised the state government to conduct school-wise analysis and take measures to ensure age-appropriate admissions, improve transition rates, and reduce school dropouts.
On school infrastructure and staffing, the PAB pointed out that the number of government primary schools with fewer than 15 students increased from 2,070 to 2,366, while schools with fewer than 30 students rose from 8,071 to 8,933. The number of single-teacher primary schools also increased from 2,448 to 2,691.
Although the proportion of primary schools with adverse pupil-teacher ratios has declined, the Board expressed concern over the situation in upper primary schools and asked the state to address teacher deployment and improve enrolment in low-strength schools.
The review also examined access to schools across Assam. While access to primary and upper primary schools is nearly universal, the Board identified 120 villages without secondary schools and 1,322 villages without higher secondary schools. It advised the state government to prioritise these underserved habitations to ensure that every child has access to education within the prescribed distance under the Right to Education (RTE) norms.
The PAB emphasised that strengthening government schools, improving learning outcomes, and ensuring universal access and retention will be critical for Assam to achieve the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
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