Guwahati - In Assam, the Himanta Biswa Sharma-led government is experimenting with many new strategies to encourage enrolment in public schools. Recently, the state government has decided to allocate 5% of seats in state-run engineering and medical colleges specifically for students who have completed their education in government-run schools.

It's worth clarifying that this reservation doesn't create additional slots; instead, it is integrated into the existing categories used for admissions. These categories include Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), Minorities and Other Backward Classes (MOBC), Economically Weaker Section (EWS), and the General category. The eligibility of candidates will determine the category under which they fall, ensuring a fair and inclusive distribution of reserved seats among different groups of students. This move aims to provide more opportunities for those who have received their education in government schools to pursue higher studies in engineering and medicine.

Ranoj Pegu, Education Minister of Assam, took to X (formerly Twitter) to post, “Under HCM Dr. @himantabiswa's leadership, #AssamCabinet has approved the reservation of 5% seats in http://B.Tech B.E. courses in Govt Engineering Colleges of Assam for students who studied from Class VII to X in Govt schools (under SEBA) and Class XI to XII in State Govt schools/colleges/Provincialized colleges (under AHSEC). This reservation is not an additional quota and would be accommodated within the existing categories such as SC/ST/OBC/MOBC (Non-Creamy Layer)/EWS or General category based on the candidate's eligibility. The initiative will ensure equal opportunities for all while encouraging students to opt for Govt schools.”

This is one of the many such stands taken by the state. In October, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had declared a plan to construct an additional 4,000 schools, promising to complete them within a span of five years. Using the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract approach, the government aims to establish these schools. The CM further mentioned that this would mean constructing 800 schools a year and 2 schools per day, which sounds like a far-fetched idea.

While some are hailing it as a step in the right direction, the decision makes us raise questions about the current status of the already present govt schools. The public schools not only lack infrastructure but also teaching and non-teaching staff. Along with encouraging enrolment, working on the ground to make sure students are provided with a good quality of education is the need of the hour.

The pandemic had a negative impact on the sector, with 4,500 schools closing in 2021-2022. In September 2023, Pegu briefed the cabinet about the critical state of the education system. The shortage of teachers is alarming, with a staggering gap of 15,752 teaching positions still vacant. In April, Ranoj Pegu shared that 1,616 schools don't have access to clean drinking water, 1,140 schools need permanent buildings, and 511 schools still don't have electricity.

Assam currently has a single All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), along with 13 medical colleges and over 29 engineering colleges that are government-run. In September of this year, Chief Minister Sarma announced plans to increase the count of medical colleges in the state to 21 by the year 2026-27.

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