2,980 schools merged in Assam in past 5 years: Union minister Jayant Chaudhary

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: It will come as a surprise to many that as many as 2,980 schools, from the elementary to secondary level, have been merged or amalgamated in the state in the past five years.

This was stated in the Lok Sabha by Minister of State in the Ministry of Education Jayant Chaudhary while responding to an unstarred question posed by Assam Congress MP Rakibul Hussain.

MP Hussain put forth the following questions:

 (a) whether the Government is aware that a significant number of Government Primary and Secondary Schools have been closed down in the State of Assam during the last five years,

(b) if so, the details of the total number of such schools closed, district-wise;

(c) the details of reasons cited by the Government for the closure of these schools and whether any assessment was conducted to evaluate the social and educational impact of such closures; if so, the details thereof; and

(d) whether the Government has any proposal to reopen the closed schools or to establish new schools in place of those shut down, especially in backward districts of Assam, and if so, the details thereof?

Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary stated in his reply to the questions that the Department of School Education, Assam, has informed him that no Government/Provincialized Primary, Middle, High and Higher Secondary Schools have been closed to date in the State of Assam.

However, schools have been merged/amalgamated under the Shiksha Khetra Scheme where there is non-sustainable enrolment or schools situated on the same campus or to optimise the use of available resources into a single administrative and academic unit in adherence to norms & guidelines as per RTE 2009, he said. Also, that schools are rationalized within the distance norms for optimum utilization of teachers and as an effort to reduce drop-out. No student has been deprived of getting an education after the merger/amalgamation, and it is also ensured that after the merger/amalgamation no student faces any difficulty in pursuing their schooling, as all schools are available within the areas as per RTE norms.

According to the information tabled in Parliament, 206 secondary schools across 21 districts were merged with nearby High, Higher Secondary or Senior Secondary Schools during the past five years.

The highest numbers of mergers were reported from Lakhimpur with 33 schools, Barpeta 23 schools, Darrang and Kamrup 20 schools each, and Nalbari with 20 schools.

Moreover, districts such as Cachar, Goalpara, Nagaon, Charaideo, Tinsukia and Sribhumi recorded between 1 and 5 mergers.

In addition to secondary schools, Assam merged 2,774 elementary schools across districts under the Department of Elementary Education. Major districts with high numbers of mergers include Hailakandi with 211 schools, Dibrugarh 167 schools, Lakhimpur 162 schools, Barpeta 159 schools, Nalbari 156 schools, Kamrup (R) 152 schools, Nagaon 186 schools, Sivasagar 188 schools, and Karimganj with 76 schools.

The Centre reiterated that these mergers were aimed at rationalising teacher deployment, improving resource utilisation and consolidating institutions with very low enrolment.

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