Relative Educational Status Of Assam: A District Level Study

Abstract

Education is considered as a key instrument for creating human capital equipped with skill and knowledge that proceed the path of development. Overall, the education scenario of a nation or state depends on the performance of various education indicators.  The study aims to analyze the performance of the education sector of Assam, one of the major states of the North-Eastern Region of India, in general, and its districts in particular. Based on secondary data available in the Statistical Handbook of Assam, a Composite Education Index consists of a Teacher Index, an Outcome Index and an Infrastructure Index calculated for all the districts of Assam for the starting period (2003-04) and end period (2016-17). The study finds that the relative educational status of districts of Assam has changed over the years. Out of the three top-performing districts in 2003-04 viz Nalbari, Sivasagar and Jorhat, only Jorhat district could maintain its previous position during 2016-17. Moreover, inter-district variation in individual indices has been found highest in the case of the Infrastructure Index, followed by the Teacher Index. However, for the Outcome Index, the variation has been reduced over the years.