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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on June 18 directed education officials to ensure that key indicators such as dropout rates, teacher-student ratios, geographical parity and gross enrolment ratios surpass the national average, as he reviewed the state's education sector and budgetary priorities.

The chief minister chaired a meeting attended by senior officials from the education and finance departments to assess ongoing schemes, infrastructure development and recruitment initiatives across the sector.

Sharing details after the meeting, Sarma said the government's vision is to "holistically transform the state's education ecosystem and deliver the best quality of teaching for the student community".

He said the administration's focus rests on three key priorities — improving quality, ending regional disparities and enhancing access to education.

"My instructions to officials have been clear — to ensure key indicators such as dropout ratio, teacher-student ratio, geographical parity, gross enrolment ratio, among others, exceed the national average," Sarma said.

The chief minister also directed officials to standardise basic infrastructure across schools, including access to electricity, drinking water, toilets and functional classrooms.

Budgetary provisions across different education sectors were reviewed during the meeting. Discussions also covered the implementation status of student financial assistance programmes, distribution of free scooters, bicycles and textbooks, and progress under the state's free admission scheme.

According to the Chief Minister's Office, the review included an assessment of Government Model Colleges and Tea Garden Model Schools, along with teacher recruitment drives across categories.

Measures to reduce dropout rates in higher education, creation of new posts and the upgradation of high schools to higher secondary institutions also figured prominently in the discussions.

Sarma directed all departments concerned to ensure timely execution and effective implementation of ongoing initiatives, reiterating the government's commitment to strengthening the education sector across Assam.