Executive Summary:
This document is the Indian Ministry of Education's response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 92 regarding school closures in Assam between FY 2016 and 2025. It clarifies that no government-provincialized schools in Assam have been closed. However, elementary and secondary schools have been merged or amalgamated under the "Siksha Khetra" scheme to optimize resources and address low enrollment, as per RTE 2009 guidelines.
Key Points / Main Content:
School Status in Assam:
- No Government/Provincialized Primary, Middle, High, or Higher Secondary Schools have been closed in Assam between FY 2016 and 2025.
Merger/Amalgamation of Schools:
- Elementary schools with non-sustainable enrollment or those on the same campus have been merged under the Siksha Khetra Scheme since 2017.
- 7427 elementary schools were amalgamated/merged with other elementary and secondary schools until 2025.
- 289 secondary schools were merged with nearby schools under the Shiksha Khetra scheme between FY 2016-25.
- Mergers aim to optimize resource utilization, address low enrollment, and reduce dropout rates.
Student and Teacher Considerations:
- Students from merged/amalgamated schools continue their education in base schools.
- No student has been deprived of education due to mergers/amalgamations.
- Teachers from merged schools continue service and receive salaries in base schools.
- Rationalization of teachers is conducted within districts to optimize services and improve education.
Dropout Rates:
- Annexure contains details of middle and primary school dropout rates, including Assam's position compared to other states/UTs, with 2023-24 data showing rates of 6.2% and 8.2% respectively.
Impact Analysis:
Students:
Impact: Students from merged schools are integrated into base schools, ensuring continued education without disruption.
Action Required: Adapt to the new base school environment and follow the academic calendar.
Teachers:
Impact: Teachers from merged schools continue their service in base schools, receiving their regular salaries. Some may be subject to rationalization.
Action Required: Continue teaching in base schools; be prepared for potential reassignment within the district.
School Administration:
Impact: Management of merged schools is integrated into the base school's administration.
Action Required: Implement the integration of merged schools and ensure the smooth transition of students and teachers.
Department of School Education, Assam:
Impact: Oversees the implementation of the Siksha Khetra Scheme and the rationalization of schools.
Action Required: Continue to monitor the effectiveness of the mergers and rationalization efforts in optimizing resources and improving educational outcomes.
Key Entities Referenced
Assam: A state in India, focus of the question regarding school closures and dropout rates.
RTE 2009: Right to Education Act 2009, referenced in the context of norms and guidelines for school operations.
Lok Sabha: The lower house of the Parliament of India, where the unstarred question was raised.
Ministry of Education: The government ministry responsible for education in India.
Shiksha Khetra Scheme: A government scheme in Assam focused on rationalizing schools and optimizing resource utilization.
UDISE: Unified District Information System for Education, the source of data regarding elementary schools in Assam.
SSA, Assam: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Assam. From where UDISE data was received.
Md. Rakibul Hussain: Member of Parliament who asked the question about school closures in Assam.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 92
ANSWERED ON – 21/07/2025
Schools closed in Assam
92. Md. Rakibul Hussain
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be please to State:
(a) the number of primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools closed between FY
2016 and 2025 in Assam district and year-wise;
(b) the number of students enrolled in these schools at the time of closure in Assam during the
above period, district and year-wise;
(c) the details of Middle and Primary drop outs and the position of Assam compared to the
other States; and
(d) the bifurcated number of closed primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools
mapped across modes of academic instruction in Assam during the above period, district and
year-wise?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a) to (d): Department of School Education, Assam has informed that no
Government/Provincialized Primary, Middle, High and Higher Secondary Schools have been
closed till date in the State of Assam. However, at Elementary Level schools have been
merged/amalgamated under the Siksha Khetra Scheme where there is non-sustainable
enrolment or schools situated in the same campus or to optimise the use of available resources
into a Single Administrative and academic unit in adherence to Norms & Guidelines as per
RTE 2009. Schools are rationalized within the distance norms for optimum utilization of
teachers and as effort to reduce drop-out.
As such, since the year 2017 till 2025, a total of 7427 Nos.(Source: Data of UDISE as received
from SSA, Assam) of Elementary schools have been amalgamated or merged with other
Elementary schools as Base Schools under Directorate of Elementary Education, Assam as
well as with Secondary schools under the Directorate of Secondary Education, Assam.However, the students of the merged/amalgamated schools are continuing their education in
the Base school. No student has been deprived of getting education after merger/amalgamation
and it is also ensured that after merger/amalgamation no student face any difficulty to pursue
their schooling as all schools are available within the areas as per RTE norms.
The teachers of the merged/amalgamated schools have been rendering their services in the Base
school and are getting their regular salary from the Base school. If there is any excess teacher
as per RTE norms, rationalization of teachers is done within the districts from time to time
making optimum utilization of services and for providing better education to the students.
At Secondary Level, to address low enrolment, optimum utilization of services of teaching
staff, to mitigate shortage of teachers and to reduce dropout rate, as per the Govt. scheme
"Shiksha Khetra", 289 Nos. of Secondary Schools have been amalgamated/ merged with
nearest schools during the FY 2016-25. The students and teachers of the schools amalgamated/
merged with other base schools have come under the new base schools and have been covered
under the same academic calendar as well as same administration.
The details of Middle and Primary drop outs and the position of Assam compared to other
States is given at Annexure.
******ANNEXURE
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) to (d) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED
QUESTION NO. 92 FOR ANSWER ON 21.07.2025 ASKED BY MD. RAKIBUL HUSSAIN, HON’BLE
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING SCHOOLS CLOSED IN ASSAM.
Details of Middle and Primary drop outs and the position of Assam compared to other States:
Annual Average Dropout Rage – 2023-24
State/UTs Name
Primary level (I-V) Upper Primary
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS 0.8 0.4
ANDHRA PRADESH 0.2 1.1
ARUNACHAL PRADESH 5.4 6.8
ASSAM 6.2 8.2
BIHAR 8.9 25.9
CHANDIGARH 0.0 0.4
CHHATTISGARH 1.8 5.3
DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI AND DAMAN &
1.6 3.1
DIU
DELHI 0.0 0.6
GOA 0.8 1.1
GUJARAT 0.1 4.2
HARYANA 1.2 4.7
HIMACHAL PRADESH 0.0 0.6
JAMMU & KASHMIR 1.6 3.2
JHARKHAND 0.9 9.0
KARNATAKA 1.7 2.7
KERALA 0.0 0.0
LADAKH 4.3 5.8
LAKSHADWEEP 2.3 3.1
MADHYA PRADESH 1.0 6.7
MAHARASHTRA 0.0 0.6
MANIPUR 4.5 3.5
MEGHALAYA 7.5 12.4
MIZORAM 3.5 5.9
NAGALAND 4.5 5.8
ODISHA 0.0 2.0
PUDUCHERRY 1.2 1.4
PUNJAB 0.1 2.6
RAJASTHAN 7.6 6.8
SIKKIM 2.6 4.9
TAMILNADU 0.0 0.0
TELANGANA 0.0 0.0
TRIPURA 0.5 4.1
UTTAR PRADESH 2.2 4.0
UTTARAKHAND 0.0 1.5
WEST BENGAL 0.0 0.0
INDIA 1.9 5.2
Source: UDISE+ 2023-24