Education Minister Ranoj Pegu revealed that 7,948 government and aided schools in Assam do not meet the ideal 30:1 pupil-teacher ratio.The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) data for 2025-26 shows 1,253 upper primary, 829 secondary, and 517 higher secondary schools fail to maintain the norm.Lower primary schools face the most severe shortage with 5,303 institutions not meeting standards.The minister explained that multi-grade teaching is common in these schools where two teachers handle five classes in one room.He noted that 646 schools lack electricity and 283 don't have boys' toilets.While acknowledging challenges, he emphasized that teaching quality hasn't been adversely affected.The data also highlights that 5,128 schools lack separate classrooms, with many operating as single-teacher institutions due to vacant posts.