Over 5,000 Government Schools In India Have No Students

More than 5,000 government schools across India have no students enrolled, with Telangana and West Bengal accounting for over 70 per cent of these institutions, government data submitted to Parliament shows.

Of the country’s 10.13 lakh government schools in the 2024–25 academic year, 5,149 reported zero enrolment, according to data shared by the Union education ministry. PTI reported that Telangana alone has 2,081 such schools, while West Bengal has 1,571.

The data further points to a sharp rise in the number of government schools with either no students or fewer than 10 students. As per a written reply to questions raised by MPs Karti P Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring in the Lok Sabha, the number of these low-enrolment schools increased by 24 per cent in two years — from 52,309 in 2022–23 to 65,054 in 2024–25. These institutions now make up 6.42 per cent of all government schools in the country, the ministry said.

According to PTI, district-wise data sourced from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) shows that Telangana’s Nalgonda district has the highest number of zero-enrolment government schools in the country at 315. Mahabubabad follows with 167 such schools, while Warangal has 135.

In West Bengal, Kolkata recorded 211 government schools with no students, the second-highest figure nationally. Purba Medinipur reported 177 zero-enrolment schools, followed by Dakshin Dinajpur with 147, PTI reported.

Despite the absence of students in many of these institutions, a significant number of teachers remain posted there. Across India, 1.44 lakh teachers are currently deployed in government schools with fewer than 10 students or no enrolment, up from 1.26 lakh in 2022–23.

West Bengal alone has 27,348 teachers posted across 6,703 such schools, translating to an average of about four teachers per institution, according to government figures cited by PTI. Bihar, meanwhile, has deployed around 3,600 teachers in 730 low-enrolment government schools, averaging nearly five teachers per school — more than twice the national average of 2.2 teachers for this category.

The education ministry noted that recruitment and rational deployment of teachers fall under the jurisdiction of state governments.

The data also highlights a gradual reduction in the total number of government schools over the past five years. The number declined from 10.32 lakh in 2019–20 to 10.13 lakh in 2024–25, the ministry informed Parliament.

(With inputs from PTI)