An Introduction
The state of Assam is a constituent of SEVEN SISTER STATES located in the north eastern part of India. The population of Assam per the 2011 census was 31.16 million which grew at 16.93% in the last ten years. The literacy rate of the state was 73.18% compared to the national average of 81.30%. The male literacy was 78.81% and female literacy was 67.27%. The Education in Assam is the best amongst the North Eastern States and also at the national level. Its capital, Guwahati is the higher educational hub for the student’s of the entire north eastern region due to its accessibility in the remotely located part of the country.
School Education in Assam
Education in Assam is in the purview of either the state government or the private sector. The education system is categorised into school education, college education and university education. The government handles a major part of the education system besides the private institutions and famous educationists of the state. The medium of instruction is largely Assamese and English. Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan the school dropout ration has shown a remarkable decline and stands at 3.56%. Most of the schools follow the syllabus of the state education board. The private schools follow either the CBSE board or the ICSE/ISC board syllabus. After the completion of 10 years of secondary schooling, students enrol in the higher secondary in any of the three disciplines of science, humanities or commerce. Students can also opt for vocational courses per their academic inclinations. From the pre primary level to the higher secondary level, there are an estimated 49970 schools in the state of Assam, of which primary schools constitute 74% of the total. Due to excessive Trans border migration the Madrassa education has also grown exponentially and in total, including higher and lower currently number 707.
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Higher Education in Assam
The entire spectrum of Education in Assam has received special attention of the government as it is remotely located and is to be brought at par with the national parameters in all faculties. For the purpose higher education has received maximum support of successive government spending. The higher education and technical education in the state are numerous and cover the entire range of study a student can aspire for. There are a total of 455 colleges, 6 universities, 4 Engineering colleges, and 3 medical colleges in Assam which cater to the higher education requirements of the students of the state. The presence of several prestigious institutions such as Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, National Institute of Technology, Silchar, Tezpur University (Central University) lends credence to the fact that Assam is at par with most Indian states in the Higher education sphere. The Universities of Assam like the other states has now shifted its focus from conventional courses to professional and technical job oriented courses thereby providing its students a level playing field in the national job perspective.
Education in Assam – Future
The government has finally succeeded in its mission of resolving regional disparities by sparing no efforts for the educational upliftment and has finally brought education in Assam at par with the nation. Many students now are undergoing education of specialised courses in the state itself for which earlier they had to seek enrolment in colleges of other states.