What was announced
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu informed the Assembly on Thursday, July 9, 2026, during the Budget Session, that the government has begun scrutinising more than 25,000 applications for school and teacher provincialisation. These applications were submitted through an online portal opened by the government this year under the amended Act. The Minister provided a detailed breakdown of the applications received: 6,163 from lower primary schools, 10,101 from upper primary schools, 5,733 from high schools, 1,222 from senior secondary schools, 201 from higher secondary schools, and 1,698 from degree colleges. Pegu stated that the applications are being examined to verify if they meet the eligibility criteria prescribed under the Act. Furthermore, Minister Pegu announced that a unified service rule for school teachers is currently being finalised. Once this rule is in place, the state will proceed with fresh recruitment to fill 60,032 vacant teaching posts in schools across Assam. He also mentioned that the government is considering replacing the post of headmaster with that of principal under the new service rules.Why it matters
The provincialisation drive and the impending recruitment for over 60,000 teaching positions are critical for Assam’s education sector. The state has been grappling with a severe shortage of teachers and declining student enrolment, with official data indicating that 60,032 teaching posts are currently vacant. This shortfall affects the quality of education and increases the workload on existing teachers. The finalisation of a unified service rule is expected to bring uniformity and clarity to the service conditions of teachers, addressing long-standing demands for better pay structures and posting regulations. Provincialisation offers job security and regularised salaries to teachers in venture educational institutions, many of whom currently receive significantly lower remuneration. Minister Pegu emphasised that provincialisation would strictly adhere to National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) norms, ensuring that there is no compromise on the quality of school education. This commitment is crucial for improving the pupil-teacher ratio, which currently sees 7,948 schools functioning without the prescribed ratio. The government’s strategy also includes eliminating single-teacher schools, a significant problem affecting 32,321 schools in the state.Background
The current provincialisation drive is part of a series of legislative efforts by the Assam government to integrate venture educational institutions into the state’s regular grant-in-aid system. The Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Reorganisation of Educational Institutions) Amendment Act, 2025, which forms the basis of the current scrutiny, amended the principal Act of 2017. This amendment primarily sought to ease eligibility conditions for teachers of venture institutions established before January 1, 2006, or in some contexts, before September 5, 2011. Historically, Assam has undertaken several provincialisation exercises. Notable among these were the Assam Elementary Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1974, and the Assam Secondary Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1977, which aimed to provincialise the services of employees in elementary and secondary education respectively. The Assam Venture School Provincialisation Act, 2011, was another significant legislation, introduced with assurances of covering remaining institutions. The state government also has a broader vision for educational infrastructure, including plans to establish an Adarsh School in every Assembly constituency. So far, 58 such schools have been set up, with proposals sought for constituencies yet to receive one. These Adarsh Vidyalayas are CBSE-affiliated English medium schools designed to provide exemplary education, particularly in rural areas. However, the education sector faces significant challenges. Minister Pegu highlighted that Assam has approximately 46,000 schools across 26,000 villages, with a substantial number of schools having very low student strength. Specifically, 22,189 lower primary schools, 5,517 upper primary schools, and 3,215 high schools each have fewer than 30 students. The issue of single-teacher schools, numbering 32,321, also remains a major concern. Additionally, there is a shortage of postgraduate teachers (PGTs) following the upgradation of high schools to higher secondary institutions.Key details
The Assam Education Department is currently processing a large volume of applications and preparing for a significant recruitment drive.- Vacant Teaching Posts: A total of 60,032 teaching positions are reported vacant across schools in Assam.
- Provincialisation Applications: Over 25,000 applications for school and teacher provincialisation are under scrutiny.
- Application Breakdown: Applications include 6,163 from lower primary schools, 10,101 from upper primary schools, 5,733 from high schools, 1,222 from senior secondary schools, 201 from higher secondary schools, and 1,698 from degree colleges.
- Unified Service Rule: A unified service rule for school teachers is in its final stages of preparation.
- Guru Dakshina Scheme: Approximately 15,000 applications have been received under the proposed Guru Dakshina Scheme, which aims to provide a one-time gratuity to teachers left out of the provincialisation process. These applications are currently under verification.
- Adarsh Schools: The government plans to establish an Adarsh School in every Assembly constituency, with 58 already operational.
Reactions
The announcements by Education Minister Ranoj Pegu in the Assembly elicited varied reactions from opposition members, highlighting ongoing concerns within the education sector. Congress MLA Abdur Rahim Ahmed sought relaxation in the eligibility criteria for venture school teachers who were excluded after the 2025 amendment, calling for another amendment to the Act. Similarly, Congress MLA MD Ashraful Islam Sheikh welcomed the provincialisation process but pressed for a clear timeline for bringing the remaining venture schools under the scheme. He also highlighted the poor condition of venture school teachers, many of whom receive only Rs 10,000–12,000 a month, urging the government to regularise their services and consider relaxation in Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) norms. AIUDF MLA Mazibur Rahman expressed concern over the shortage of postgraduate teachers (PGTs) after several high schools were upgraded to higher secondary schools, stating that students were being affected due to the lack of qualified faculty. The opposition collectively voiced concerns over the growing number of schools with low enrolment and the large number of teacher vacancies, arguing that this situation poses a major challenge to improving learning outcomes in government schools. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, while acknowledging earlier government efforts, argued that several long-standing issues remain unresolved.Minister Pegu, in response to these concerns, maintained that provincialisation must comply with NCTE norms regarding teacher-student ratios and that there could be no compromise on quality. He also stated that tutors who acquire the required professional qualifications would be eligible for induction as teachers.“Under the 2011 Act, whole schools were provincialised. Now only posts will be covered, leaving ten times more people outside the system,” AIUDF MLA Dr. Rafiqul Islam said, criticising the bill for focusing solely on provincialising teachers’ posts rather than entire institutions. Islam urged the government to remove conditions related to enrolment and academic results and proposed shifting the eligibility year for venture degree colleges from 2006 to 2011.