The Assam government on February 18, 2026, announced a massive recruitment drive to fill approximately 75,000 teacher and lecturer posts across the state, coinciding with the launch of the Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal. This initiative aims to streamline the provincialisation of venture educational institutions, marking a significant step towards strengthening the state’s education sector.
The comprehensive drive represents one of the largest government hiring efforts in Assam’s education history, designed to address long-standing vacancies, enhance educational quality, and provide fair employment opportunities to qualified candidates. The newly launched digital platform is expected to bring transparency and efficiency to the process of regularising services of teaching and non-teaching staff in venture schools and colleges.
What was announced
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma officially unveiled the Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Guwahati on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. During the launch, Chief Minister Sarma announced that the state government would open around 75,000 vacancies for teachers and lecturers during 2026.
The PMS 1.0 portal, developed by the Department of Higher and School Education, is designed to facilitate the provincialisation of venture educational institutions and their teaching and non-teaching staff under the Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Re-Organisation of Educational Institutions) Act, 2017, as amended in 2025.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, who was present at the launch, described the portal as a major digital reform aimed at ensuring transparency, equity, and efficiency in the provincialisation process.
Why it matters
This large-scale recruitment drive is poised to significantly impact Assam’s education landscape by filling critical staffing gaps and improving the pupil-teacher ratio across various educational levels. Chief Minister Sarma emphasised that the move would strengthen the education system and provide opportunities to qualified candidates, particularly those with University Grants Commission (UGC) qualifications.
The provincialisation of venture educational institutions has been a long-pending issue, affecting thousands of teachers and staff across the state. The PMS 1.0 portal offers a centralised, digital mechanism to resolve these issues, bringing much-needed clarity and job security to the affected personnel.
Furthermore, the initiative is expected to boost employment generation within the state. The Chief Minister noted that the government’s consistent efforts to expand educational access and improve teacher availability are reflected in such large-scale recruitment drives.
Background
The Assam government has a history of significant recruitment drives in the education sector. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, recalling his tenure as Education Minister in 2011, mentioned that 21,957 primary, 14,036 middle, and 3,180 high school teachers were provincialised at that time.
In recent years, the state has continued its focus on job creation in education. Sarma highlighted that nearly 60,000 teachers have already been appointed in Assam, demonstrating the government’s commitment to addressing teacher shortages.
The Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Re-Organisation of Educational Institutions) Act, 2017, and its subsequent amendment in 2025, form the legal framework for this provincialisation process. This Act aims to bring non-government schools and colleges, established with the primary purpose of providing education, under government responsibility, including the payment of salaries and other benefits to teachers.
In December 2023, Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced a recruitment process for 14,223 school teacher positions, including 1,424 post-graduate teacher roles and 7,249 graduate teacher positions, along with 3,800 Assistant Teachers for Lower Primary (LP) Schools and 1,750 positions for Upper Primary (UP) Schools. Chief Minister Sarma had then stated the government’s commitment to creating over one lakh government jobs transparently.
Earlier, in August 2023, the Assam cabinet decided to waive the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) requirement for Graduate and Post Graduate Teachers of Secondary Schools, opting instead for a TET-cum-Recruitment Test to streamline the hiring process.
The state has also invested significantly in educational infrastructure. In June 2024, Chief Minister Sarma announced plans to allocate over Rs 4,000 crore towards the construction of 500 state-of-the-art government schools across Assam. More recently, in February 2026, 67 state-of-the-art school buildings were inaugurated with a combined investment of Rs 760 crore.
Key details
The Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal is a crucial component of this drive. It allows venture educational institutions established before January 1, 2006, to submit documentary proof online for provincialisation. This includes university permissions, recognition records, examination documents, and official correspondence. Only institutions that can verify their establishment before 2006 will be considered eligible.
The portal aims to create a centralised database, ending ambiguity and alleged irregularities that have historically affected the provincialisation process.
For teachers and non-teaching staff whose services cannot be provincialised under existing rules, the government has introduced a ‘Guru Dakshina’ scheme. This scheme, outlined in the Vote-on-Account Budget presented on February 17, 2026, offers a one-time financial assistance package. Additionally, beneficiaries under this scheme will receive preference marks in future recruitment processes to help them compete for other government jobs.
The official URL for the Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal is https://pmsportal.org.
Reactions
“This year, we will open around 75,000 vacancies for teachers and lecturers. Those with UGC qualifications will get fair opportunities,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said during the launch event. He added that the upcoming recruitment would further strengthen the education system and provide opportunities to qualified candidates across Assam.
Chief Minister Sarma described the launch of PMS 1.0 as a major step toward resolving the long-pending issue of provincialisation of eligible schools and colleges, aiming for a decisive and transparent push.
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu stated that PMS 1.0 is aimed at ensuring transparency, equity, and efficiency in the provincialisation process for teaching and non-teaching staff.
What’s next
The recruitment drive for approximately 75,000 teacher and lecturer posts is ongoing for 2026. The PMS 1.0 portal is currently active, allowing eligible institutions to submit their applications for provincialisation.
The Directorate of Elementary Education has also asked District Elementary Education Officers (DEEOs) to submit vacancy details for Lower Primary (LP) and Upper Primary (UP) school teachers and Grade III and Grade IV posts for the period between July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025, by September 19.
Furthermore, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Assam has issued an advertisement for a Special Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) – 2026 for LP and UP levels, indicating further recruitment activities in the pipeline.
Sources & References
Source: Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) Portal and various news reports including The Northeast Post, DD News, Guwahati Plus, The Assam Tribune.