STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: All’s not well with education in government schools in Assam. Government schools in the State have cut a sorry figure in the past four years when enrollment of students fell drastically by seven lakh. Enrollment of students in private schools in the State during the period, on the other hand, registered 12-20 percent rise by enrolling five lakh more students.
Such a lopsided statistics is given by the UDISE (Unified District Information of School Education) that conducts survey of schools every year and submits its report to the HRD (Human Resources Development) Ministry. According to the report, in 2014-15 as many as 54,66,627 students were enrolled in government schools from Class 1-XII against 6,91,137 students enrolled in private schools in Assam. However, in 2015-15, while the enrollment of students in government schools fell to 50,89,101, that of private schools rose to 8,76,179. In 2016-17, the enrollment of students in schools was 51,12,368 against 9,75,596 in private schools. In 2017-18, the enrollment of students in government school fell drastically to 47,44,217 against the sharp rise in enrollment in private schools to 11,41,776.
The reasons behind students deserting government schools in Assam may be many. The Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting under Samagra Shiksha under the HRD Ministry held on July 15, 2019 in New Delhi on Assam found that 22 per cent upper primary schools are without three subject teachers, 60 per cent secondary schools are without four subject teachers, as many as 31,754 untrained teachers without meeting the requisite professional qualification have been working in government secondary schools, as many as 29,000 surplus primary and upper primary teachers have not been rationalized, 22,852 posts at the elementary level and 5,603 posts at the secondary level have been lying vacant in the State. It seems the much-hyped gunatsav in the State could identify the ailments in schools but could not do much their remedy.