Nearly one in every five sanctioned teacher posts in Assam's government schools remains vacant, with more than 30,000 positions yet to be filled, the state
government informed the Assembly on Thursday. The figures were shared by School Education Minister Ranoj Pegu in a written reply during the ongoing Assembly session, highlighting the staffing challenges across primary, secondary and higher secondary schools. According to information reported by PTI, Assam currently has 1,54,078 sanctioned teaching posts across schools. Of these, 30,032 posts are vacant, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the total sanctioned strength. The shortage is most severe in primary education, where 18,801 teaching posts remain unfilled. Breaking down the figures further, the minister said 11,662 vacancies exist in lower primary schools, while 7,139 posts are vacant in upper primary institutions. In addition, 11,231 teaching positions are lying vacant in secondary and higher secondary schools across the state.
Government Promises Recruitment, Flags Single-Teacher Schools as Concern
Responding to a question raised by Leader of Opposition Wajed Ali Choudhury, Pegu said the state government is working towards filling these vacancies as part of its broader employment drive.
He noted that the Assam government has already announced its plan to recruit two lakh youths into government jobs, and vacancy lists from schools are currently being compiled. Once the process is completed, recruitment for the vacant teaching positions will be taken up, the minister said.
In another written response, this time to Congress MLA Asif Mohammad Nazar, Pegu provided details about the state's school network. Assam has 44,103 government-run schools, including 39,531 primary schools.
However, staffing remains uneven. The minister said 7,948 schools do not meet the mandated 30:1 pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), indicating a shortage of teachers in several institutions despite the state's overall teacher deployment.
The issue also figured prominently during the Question Hour, when AIUDF MLA Badruddin Ajmal expressed concern over schools functioning with only a single teacher. He argued that such schools have witnessed declining student enrolment in recent years due to inadequate staffing.
Replying to the concern, Pegu acknowledged that single-teacher schools continue to be a significant challenge for the state. He said the government is making efforts to ensure that schools are no longer forced to function with just one teacher, while maintaining that Assam's overall pupil-teacher ratio compares favourably with the national scenario.
As reported by PTI, the minister said the government has adopted a three-pronged strategy to strengthen teacher deployment. This includes regular recruitment, intra-district rationalisation of teachers, and the merger or amalgamation of schools to improve teacher availability and optimise resources across educational institutions.
(With PTI Inputs)
