Assam merges elementary and secondary wings into single school education dept

The Assam government has restructured its education administration by bringing elementary and secondary education under a single department, aligning the state’s framework with the structure followed at the central level under the National Education Policy.

Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said the move is intended to streamline governance in school education and bring it in line with the ministry's model.

“Education under the National Education Policy (NEP) is divided into school education and higher education. In school education earlier we had two departments, department of elementary education and the department of secondary education. But at the central ministry level, there is the department of school education,” Pegu said.

“So, in line with the department under the ministry of human resources, we have merged the department of elementary and secondary education into one department of school education, and this is in line with NEP,” Pegu added.

The newly formed department will now oversee all aspects of schooling in the state, covering both elementary and secondary levels under a unified administrative setup.

Speaking about the rollout of NEP reforms in higher education, the minister said Assam has already moved forward with implementing the four-year undergraduate degree structure recommended under the policy.

“A few months back, the state cabinet endorsed the 4-year degree course in line with NEP, and we are going to implement this course from 2023,” Pegu said.

“This is a student-centric program, and where every year if the student successfully completes the semesters, then they can get a certificate in the first year and a diploma in the second year. In the third year, they can get a Bachelor’s degree without honors & research, and after completion of the fourth year, they can get a degree with honors and research. The universities have already started their curriculum,” Pegu added.

Under the new structure, students will have multiple exit options, allowing them to earn recognized academic credentials at different stages of the program. State universities have already begun preparing and revising their curricula in accordance with the new academic model.