Assam govt to shut 34 schools as all students fail in Class X boards | India News

GUWAHATI: The Assam government will shut down 34 schools as not a single one of about 1,000 students from these state-run institutes could clear the Class X state board examination held in March this year. An angry education minister Ranoj Pegu said it’s meaningless to spend taxpayers’ money on schools with a zero success rate.
“The primary duty of schools is to impart education. If a school cannot ensure that its students pass the Class X exam, there is no point in keeping these schools operational,” Pegu said. “The government cannot spend public money on schools turning a zero success record.”

The crackdown followed the state’s worst overall result of five years as only a little over half of four lakh candidates—56.49%, the lowest since 2018—taking the Class X exam passed this year. In another 68 schools, the pass percentage was less than 10%.
“A decision has been taken to close government-run schools that had a pass percentage of zero. But considering the future of students studying in these schools, they will be given a chance to get enrolled in nearby high schools,” a senior education official said.
Officials blamed the dismal show on disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic as well as teachers of many schools not giving full attention to students. It was also said that the return to physical board examination from last year’s formula-based evaluation caused a sharp decline of around 40% fewer students clearing the finals this year.
The decision to shut down schools drew sharp reactions from political parties. “Closing schools is not the solution. We just need to open many new schools all over the country. Instead of closing the school, improve the school and make education right,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.
The Assam government recently took help from IIT Guwahati faculty members to train teachers of government schools performing below par.
According to director of secondary education Mamata Hojai, there’s a plan to merge all the zero-performing schools with neighbouring schools by this academic year. “There is no reason to allow these schools to function after such shocking results.”
Hojai said the process to amalgamate four such schools has already started, and the students and teachers will be shifted to nearby secondary schools. School inspectors of each district have been asked to prepare the roadmap to ensure a smooth transition, another official said.
Education minister Pegu warned that schools with dwindling enrolment will also be merged with nearby institutes. He said about 2,500 such schools are under the scanner.
Karbi Anglong district topped the list of having the most number of schools—seven—with a zero pass percentage, followed by five each in Cachar and Jorhat, two each in Dhubri, Goalpara, Lakhimpur and Nagaon. The districts of Chirang, Darrang, Dibrugarh, Golaghat, Kamrup, Kokrajhar, Nalbari, Hailakandi and West Karbi Anglong reported one each.