Research and public affairs platform Future Edge has launched a new “Minister Report Card” series to assess the performance of ministers in the Assam government during the 2021–2026 Assembly term. The first report released under the initiative evaluates the work of Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu and gives him an overall governance rating of 4.2 out of 5.
The organisation said the report card series has been designed as a data-based assessment exercise focusing on governance, policy implementation, infrastructure growth, welfare delivery and public response. The study examines several indicators including budget utilisation, manifesto implementation, administrative performance, institutional reforms and citizen feedback.
According to the report, the education sector in Assam witnessed large-scale recruitment during Ranoj Pegu’s tenure. The assessment states that more than 50,000 vacancies were filled between 2021 and 2026. Of these, over 40,000 appointments were made under the Directorate of Elementary Education while more than 11,000 posts were filled under the Directorate of Secondary Education.
The report also highlighted infrastructure development in the education sector. It said over 1,500 schools were modernised under the Smart School initiative and smart classroom facilities were expanded to nearly 3,883 schools across the state. The assessment further mentioned that Assam expanded its higher education network during the period with 23 state universities and 24 model degree colleges functioning during the tenure.
Future Edge stated that the report examined governance indicators and found that the estimated promise delivery rate stood between 85 and 90 percent. Scheme implementation was estimated at around 85 percent, while average central fund utilisation was reported at 86 percent. Budget utilisation during the period ranged between 84 and 105 percent, according to the assessment.
The report also pointed to improvements in student-teacher ratios in schools. It said the lower primary pupil-teacher ratio improved from 28:1 in 2021 to 22:1 in 2026. At the higher secondary level, the ratio improved from 31:1 to 27:1 during the same period.
Apart from education reforms, the report discussed welfare programmes carried out under the departments handled by the minister. These included the Nijut Moina Scheme, expansion of Mising-medium schools, tea garden education outreach programmes and tribal livelihood initiatives under Van Dhan Vikas Kendras.
However, the report also mentioned several issues and controversies faced during the tenure. These included the HSLC paper leak case in 2023, delays in implementation of ICT infrastructure projects, decline in budget utilisation after FY22 and student protests linked to the Dibrugarh University controversy in 2026.
Future Edge also announced that report cards of several other important ministers in the Assam government will be released in the coming days as part of the larger series. The organisation describes itself as a platform working on governance analytics, political communication, policy tracking and electoral research in Northeast India.
