Guwahati, July 7: The Assam Government on Tuesday dismissed a media report claiming that 1,640 government schools in the state do not have electricity, asserting that the figures are inaccurate and fail to account for schools already powered through solar energy.
Clarifying the issue in a post on X, Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said 643 of the schools cited in the report are already receiving electricity through solar power systems. As a result, only 676 schools, representing 1.53 per cent of Assam’s 44,243 government schools, are currently without any electricity connection.
Pegu said the state government has already allocated ₹4 crore in the current financial year to provide electricity to all the remaining schools, with the work expected to be completed during the year.
The minister also highlighted progress in improving sanitation facilities across government schools. According to him, all government schools in Assam now have girls’ toilets, while only 283 schools—around 0.64 per cent of the total—are yet to have boys’ toilets. He said construction of the remaining boys’ toilets has already been taken up.
On digital education infrastructure, Pegu said Assam has 11,282 upper primary and secondary schools, including 177 Central Government-run institutions such as Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools.
Of the 10,965 schools managed by the Assam Government, 10,033 schools, or 91.5 per cent, have already been equipped with at least one digital learning facility, including ICT laboratories, smart classrooms or tele-education systems, the minister said.
He added that 936 schools are yet to receive digital infrastructure. During the current financial year, ICT laboratories will be installed in 328 more schools, reducing the number of uncovered schools to 608. The government has also prepared a plan to extend digital learning facilities to all remaining schools in the next financial year.
The clarification comes after a newspaper report raised concerns over infrastructure gaps in government schools. The Education Department has maintained that while some schools still require electricity and digital facilities, the remaining gaps are limited and are being addressed through ongoing government-funded projects.
