Guwahati: The Assam School Education Department plans to fill 30,032 vacant teaching positions across government and provincialised schools in a phased manner, Education Minister Dr. Ranoj Pegu informed the Legislative Assembly on July 12, 2026. This move addresses a significant teacher shortage in the state’s educational institutions.
The announcement is part of the Assam government’s broader commitment to generate two lakh government jobs for the state’s unemployed youth. The phased recruitment aims to bolster the teaching workforce and improve the student-teacher ratio in schools, which has been a persistent challenge across various districts.
What was announced
During a session of the Assam Legislative Assembly on July 12, 2026, Education Minister Dr. Ranoj Pegu confirmed that a total of 30,032 teaching posts are currently vacant in government and provincialised schools throughout Assam. Responding to a question, Dr. Pegu detailed that these vacancies span various categories, including Lower Primary (LP), Upper Primary (UP), Middle English (ME), Middle Vernacular (MV), High, and Higher Secondary schools.
The Minister stated that the School Education Department has a sanctioned strength of 1,54,078 teaching posts. The current vacancies represent nearly 20 percent of the total sanctioned strength. He further informed the Assembly that the government is compiling comprehensive details of all vacant posts and intends to fill them in phases.
Why it matters
This phased recruitment drive is crucial for Assam’s education sector, which has grappled with a substantial teacher shortage for several years. The filling of over 30,000 positions is expected to significantly improve the quality of education, particularly in rural and remote areas where staffing challenges are often most acute.
The initiative aligns with the state government’s “Mission 2 Lakh Govt Jobs,” an ambitious programme launched to create two lakh employment opportunities across various public sector entities over five years. By addressing the teacher deficit, the government aims to enhance the student-teacher ratio, which currently falls below the mandated 30:1 in nearly 7,948 schools, according to Dr. Pegu. This shortage has led to concerns about declining student enrolment, especially in single-teacher schools.
Background
Assam has a history of significant teacher vacancies and has undertaken various initiatives to address the issue. In February 2021, then Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that 71,000 teachers had been appointed in the preceding five years, including a massive drive that saw 29,701 appointment letters handed over. Despite these efforts, the challenge of teacher shortages has persisted.
The concept of “provincialised schools” is central to Assam’s education system. Provincialisation refers to the state government taking over the liabilities for payment of fixed salaries and other benefits to teachers and staff of venture educational institutions, effectively bringing them under government management. This process has been a key mechanism for regularising teaching posts and improving conditions for educators. The Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Teachers and Re-organisation of Educational Institutions) Act, 2017, and subsequent acts, govern this process.
The current government, under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has prioritised job creation. The “Mission 2 Lakh Govt Jobs” was announced in May 2026, with a task force constituted under the Chief Secretary to identify vacancies and prepare a roadmap for recruitment across various departments, including education. Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah reiterated this commitment during the state Budget presentation in July 2026, stating that the government aimed to create two lakh jobs over the next five years.
Recent data indicates that the shortage is particularly severe in primary education, with 18,801 posts vacant. This includes 11,662 vacancies for assistant teachers in Lower Primary schools and 7,139 in Upper Primary institutions. Additionally, 11,231 teaching positions are vacant in secondary and higher secondary schools. The Education Department has also highlighted that 32,321 schools in the state have fewer than 30 students, indicating a dual challenge of teacher shortage and declining enrolment.
Key details
The 30,032 teacher vacancies include a detailed breakdown across different levels of schooling. In Lower Primary (LP) schools, there are 11,662 assistant teacher vacancies. Upper Primary (UP) schools face a deficit of 4,315 assistant teachers, 1,737 Hindi teachers, 907 science teachers, 163 Assamese language teachers, and 17 Manipuri language teachers.
For secondary and higher secondary levels, there are 10,005 graduate teacher vacancies and 1,226 post-graduate teacher vacancies. Districts with the highest number of vacancies at the secondary level include Barpeta (1,129), Nalbari (685), Cachar (576), Dhubri (563), Kamrup (542), and Nagaon (531). At the elementary level, Sivasagar (1,402), Kamrup (1,131), Barpeta (969), Dhubri (1,246), Lakhimpur (1,130), and Nagaon (1,072) report the largest numbers of unfilled posts across various categories.
The government’s strategy to address the teacher shortage involves a three-pronged approach: regular recruitment, intra-district rationalisation of existing staff, and the merger or amalgamation of smaller schools to enhance teacher strength in educational institutes.
What’s next
The School Education Department is currently in the process of compiling detailed vacancy lists from schools. Once this process is completed, the phased recruitment for the 30,032 teaching positions will commence. This recruitment drive is expected to be a continuous process as part of the state’s broader five-year plan to generate two lakh government jobs.
The government has also indicated plans to create new posts, particularly for mathematics teachers, with the state cabinet having already approved such appointments. Furthermore, the state is implementing reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including the mandatory use of the SAMARTH Portal for student migrations and lateral entries, which aims to streamline academic administration and improve efficiency.
Sources & References
Source: Assam Education Minister Dr. Ranoj Pegu’s statement in Legislative Assembly