Assam’s school education system is facing a profound crisis, with the state government confirming that nearly 1,400 government schools in rural and char areas are operating without functional drinking water or toilets — some without either. 

At the same time, almost 28,000 teaching posts remain vacant, jeopardising learning for thousands of children in some of the state’s most development-starved regions.

The grim numbers were presented in the Assam Assembly on Thursday during Question Hour, in response to a query from Congress MLA Wajed Ali Choudhury.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said 1,391 Lower Primary and Middle English schools currently lack usable drinking water and toilet facilities, despite being operational and catering largely to children from marginalised communities.

Breaking down the data, Pegu said 347 schools have no drinking water at all, while 809 do not have toilets. 

Additionally, drinking water facilities in 134 schools are non-functional, and another 101 schools have unusable toilets, leaving students with neither privacy nor the basics required for a safe learning environment.

“The issue is most acute in interior rural belts and char areas,” the minister noted, adding that efforts were underway to restore and ensure essential amenities where missing.

A system strained by staff shortages

Alongside infrastructure distress, schools are also battling a massive shortage of teachers. Pegu informed the House that 27,936 teaching posts remain vacant across rural and char areas, with Middle English schools bearing the heaviest burden.

The breakdown of vacancies includes:

12,382 posts in Middle English schools

8,251 in Lower Primary schools

7,303 in Upper Primary schools

The shortages have forced many schools to function with skeletal staff, in some cases with only one teacher handling multiple classes and subjects — a practice education experts have repeatedly warned hampers learning outcomes.

Recruitment underway — but thousands still without teachers

Responding to concerns raised by members of the Opposition, Pegu said recruitment is in progress.

Hiring for 4,500 Lower Primary teacher posts in general areas is underway, with document verification ongoing.

The Directorate of Secondary Education has already completed the process to appoint 9,717 teachers.

However, even with these new appointments, the gap remains wide — and the state is yet to lay out a definitive timeline for universal facility restoration and full hiring.

The figures presented in the Assembly paint a stark picture of inequality within Assam’s education system: children in remote regions continue to study without teachers, toilets, or access to clean drinking water — the most basic conditions necessary for learning and dignity.

For Odisha’s children living in the char and rural hinterlands, education remains not a right fulfilled, but one still waiting to be delivered.