Assam: Government School in Nalbari on verge of closure amid teacher crisis

A CORRESPONDENT

NALBARI: A serious crisis in the education sector has surfaced in Assam’s Nalbari district, where alleged administrative negligence, irregular teacher deployment and prolonged indifference of officials have pushed some government schools to the brink of closure.

The most alarming situation has emerged at Ulabari Paschim Nakheti Milan ME School under the East Nalbari education block. Despite having nine classes, the school has been functioning with only five teachers for the past three years. Out of them, one teacher retired in February and another has now retired, leaving only three teachers to run the entire institution. Local residents say it has become nearly impossible to conduct regular classes under such circumstances.

Parents have alleged that the school does not have even a single science graduate teacher. As a result, arts teachers have been handling mathematics and science for years, severely affecting the quality of education. The continuing shortage has also disrupted new admissions.

The impact is already visible. Student strength at the school has dropped to just 20. During the previous academic session, parents of 25 students shifted their children to other schools. This year too, several families have reportedly been compelled to seek admission in private institutions.

Residents said that the teacher shortage had repeatedly been brought to the notice of the district administration and the Education Department. Appeals were made before the district commissioner and the district elementary education officer, but no effective intervention followed.

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