India: 65,000+ govt schools face critically low student enrolment

Over 65,000 government schools in India have fewer than 10 students, and 5,149 have none, a 24% increase in two years. Official data shows 70% of zero-enrolment schools are in Telangana and West Bengal, raising resource allocation concerns.

More than 65,000 government schools across India have fewer than 10 students, while 5,149 schools reported zero enrolment in 2024-25, according to official Ministry of Education data.

According to the Ministry of Education, more than 70 per cent of zero-enrolment schools are concentrated in Telangana and West Bengal, indicating sharp regional disparities in student attendance across the government school network.

Significant Rise in Low-Enrolment Schools

The data, shared last week in a written reply to questions raised by MPs Karti P. Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in the Lok Sabha, is based on information compiled through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+). Beyond schools with no students, the Ministry's data highlights a significant rise in institutions with critically low enrolment. The number of government schools with fewer than 10 or zero students increased by 24 per cent over the last two academic years, rising from 52,309 in 2022-23 to 65,054 in 2024-25. These low-enrolment schools now account for 6.42 per cent of all government schools in the country, reflecting a growing mismatch between school infrastructure and actual student presence.

Concerns Over Teacher Deployment

The data also show that over 1.44 lakh teachers were posted in schools with fewer than 10 or no students during the same period, raising questions about staff deployment and resource utilisation at the state level.

Centre Clarifies State's Role

The Ministry clarified that education is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution and that the administration, recruitment and deployment of teachers in government schools fall under the jurisdiction of State governments and Union Territory administrations. The Centre supports States and UTs through the Samagra Shiksha scheme to maintain prescribed pupil-teacher ratios and improve school infrastructure.

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