Recent government data reveals a concerning reality for India’s education sector. Over 5,000 government schools across the country currently have zero students enrolled. The Union Education Ministry shared these figures in Parliament recently. Furthermore, the number of schools with very low enrolment continues to rise.
| Category | Data (2024-25) |
| Total Government Schools | 10.13 Lakh |
| Schools with Zero Students | 5,149 |
| Schools with <10 Students | 65,054 |
| Teachers in Low-Enrolment Schools | 1.44 Lakh |
| Rise in Low-Enrolment Schools | 24% (since 2022-23) |
Telangana and West Bengal account for more than 70 per cent of the government schools with no students. Telangana alone has 2,081 such institutions, while West Bengal follows with 1,571.
District-level data highlights specific areas of concern
- Nalgonda (Telangana): 315 schools (Highest in India)
- Kolkata (West Bengal): 211 schools
- Purba Medinipur (West Bengal): 177 schools
- Mahabubabad (Telangana): 167 schools
Teacher Deployment in Empty Schools
Despite the lack of students, the government still posts thousands of teachers in these institutions. Currently, 1.44 lakh teachers work in government schools with fewer than 10 students. This number increased from 1.26 lakh in the 2022-23 academic year.
Also Read: Should Attendance Be Mandatory for Students?
Inefficient resource allocation is evident in state figures. West Bengal employs 27,348 teachers across 6,703 low-enrolment schools. This averages to about four teachers per school. Similarly, Bihar deploys roughly 3,600 teachers in 730 such schools, averaging nearly five teachers per institution.
The Education Ministry clarified that state governments handle teacher recruitment and deployment. Meanwhile, the total number of government schools in India dropped from 10.32 lakh in 2019-20 to 10.13 lakh in 2024-25. This data suggests a clear shift in the public education landscape.
