Assam Government Schools See Sharp Fall in Enrolment as Private Schools Grow
Student enrollment in Assam government schools has dropped sharply over nine years while private schools have grown fast. New assembly data also shows teacher shortages and basic infrastructure gaps in many public schools.
Assam’s school education system is seeing a major change. Government and provincialised schools in the state have lost a large number of students over the past nine years while private schools have recorded strong growth. The data was shared in the assembly by education Minister Ranoj Pegu in a written reply to Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi. From the 2016 to 2017 academic session to the 2025 to 2026 session enrolment in government schools from pre primary to Class 12 dropped by 7 lakh and 35 thousand 446 students. During the same period private schools added 9 lakh 40 thousand 566 students. The figures show that more families in Assam are now choosing private schools over public institutions. Read the article to know more details.
Falling Enrollment and Decline in Government School Strength
The assembly date also showed that the number of government schools in Assam has come down by 8 thousand 591 in the last nine years. Along with this government schools lost 15 thousand 326 teachers during the same period. In contrast, private schools added 51 thousand 214 teachers. This change suggests that private institutions are expanding while government schools are shrinking in both size and reach. The sharp fall in student enrollment and the drop in teacher numbers point to a growing challenge for public confidence in government school.
Teacher Shortage and Basic Facilities Remain a Concern
The minister also shared details about staffing in schools. There are 3 thousand 31 schools that are running with only one teacher. Another 15 thousand 270 schools have two teachers while 8 thousands 115 schools have three teachers. The data also revealed major gaps in basic facilities. A total of 676 schools still do not have electricity. Around 730 schools do not have internet access. As many as 12 thousand 353 schools are still struggling with weak infrastructure and limited staffing. The latest data presented during the ongoing assembly session has brought fresh attention to the condition of public schools in Assam and the steady move of students toward private education.
Faham is an education specialist and has over three years of experience in the education and edtech industry, specializing in digital and educational content creation. He holds an MBA in Marketing and Human Resources from Swami Vivekanand University. Throughout his career, Faham has developed expertise in creating engaging and informative content across diverse educational domains.
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