Guwahati: The Assam Education Department has granted a one-year window to Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to significantly increase student enrolment in government schools currently operating with fewer than 30 students, before proceeding with further amalgamation. Education Minister Ranoj Pegu announced this decision on Thursday during the Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly, also confirming that recruitment for Lower Primary (LP) teachers remains suspended due to ongoing cases before the Gauhati High Court.
The move aims to address the issue of under-enrolled schools and rationalise educational infrastructure across the state, while offering a final opportunity to improve student strength at the grassroots level. The hold on LP teacher recruitment, however, prolongs uncertainty for thousands of aspirants, as the department awaits judicial clarity on various legal challenges.
What was announced
Education Minister Ranoj Pegu, addressing the Assam Legislative Assembly on Thursday, stated that MLAs have a one-year period to boost student enrolment in schools where the student count is currently below 30. He emphasised that schools failing to meet this threshold after the specified period would face amalgamation.
Pegu further informed the House that the recruitment process for Lower Primary (LP) teachers would remain on hold. This suspension is due to several pending cases before the Gauhati High Court, which the government is actively contesting. “Recruitment will be taken up only after the legal issues are settled,” Pegu said.
Additionally, the minister outlined plans for cluster-based teacher recruitment, specifically targeting remote areas to minimise frequent transfer requests and ensure teachers remain closer to their postings.
Why it matters
The one-year grace period for MLAs underscores the government’s intent to involve local representatives in improving foundational education, potentially averting the closure or merger of numerous small schools. This policy impacts thousands of schools, as official data presented in the Assembly indicated that 32,321 schools in Assam have fewer than 30 students.
The continued suspension of LP teacher recruitment significantly affects a large pool of aspiring educators in Assam. The state faces a substantial teacher shortage, with more than 30,000 teaching posts vacant across government schools, including 11,662 vacancies in lower primary schools alone, according to information shared by Minister Pegu in July 2026.
The proposed cluster-based recruitment for remote areas is a strategic move to address the uneven distribution of teachers, a persistent problem where many educators resist postings in inaccessible regions. This initiative aims to ensure adequate staffing in underserved areas and improve the overall pupil-teacher ratio, which currently sees 7,948 schools not meeting the mandated 30:1 ratio.
Background
The Assam government has been actively pursuing a school rationalisation policy, often referred to as amalgamation or merger, since at least 2017 under the ‘Siksha Khetra’ scheme. Between 2016 and 2026, approximately 7,380 schools were amalgamated, with about 1,000 schools merged between 2021 and 2026. The rationale behind these mergers is to optimise resources, address declining enrolment, and improve the overall educational environment, particularly in areas with multiple schools in close proximity.
In June 2026, the Directorate of Elementary Education issued an urgent instruction for the merger of primary schools with fewer than 30 students, citing declining enrolment and the need for optimal resource utilisation. This directive highlighted that many government schools, especially in rural areas, have seen a steady decline in student numbers due to demographic changes, migration, and a growing preference for private institutions.
The issue of teacher recruitment in Assam has frequently been entangled in legal disputes. In February 2024, the Gauhati High Court issued notices challenging advertisements for assistant teachers in both upper and lower primary schools, based on petitions concerning evaluation methods for candidates from yearly versus semester systems. Another case in June 2025 saw the High Court directing the Directorate of Elementary Education to keep the results of document verification for NIOS D.El.Ed. teachers in abeyance, impacting a recruitment drive for 5,500 Assistant Teacher positions. These legal hurdles have consistently delayed recruitment processes, contributing to the significant number of vacant teacher posts in the state.
The government has also taken other measures to strengthen the education sector, including the provincialisation of services for thousands of teachers and the launch of the Provincialisation Management System (PMS 1.0) portal in February 2026 to streamline applications. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has consistently emphasised the government’s commitment to transforming the state’s education ecosystem, focusing on improving quality, ending regional disparity, and enhancing access for students.
Key details
The core of the new policy provides a one-year period for MLAs to increase student enrolment in government schools that currently have fewer than 30 students. If enrolment does not improve above this threshold within the stipulated time, these schools will be subject to amalgamation with nearby institutions.
The recruitment for Lower Primary (LP) teachers will remain paused indefinitely until the Gauhati High Court resolves the pending legal cases. The specific nature of these cases involves challenges to recruitment advertisements and document verification processes.
The Education Department also plans to implement a cluster-based teacher recruitment system for remote and inaccessible areas. This initiative aims to recruit local youths for teaching positions within their respective clusters, with a strict policy that teachers recruited under this scheme will not be transferred outside their designated clusters.
What’s next
Over the next year, MLAs are expected to actively work within their constituencies to encourage higher enrolment in under-performing schools. The Education Department will monitor student strength, and schools that do not meet the minimum 30-student threshold by the end of this period will proceed with amalgamation.
The resolution of the pending cases before the Gauhati High Court is crucial for the resumption of LP teacher recruitment. The state government is contesting these cases, and their outcome will determine the timeline for filling thousands of vacant teacher positions.
Further details on the implementation of the cluster-based teacher recruitment policy, including specific guidelines and timelines, are anticipated from the Education Department. This system is expected to be a key component in addressing teacher shortages in remote regions.
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