More than 65,000 government schools across India currently have fewer than 10 students enrolled, while 5,149 schools reported zero enrolment during the 2024–25 academic year, according to data released
by the Ministry of Education.
The figures highlight a growing gap between school infrastructure and actual student attendance in several parts of the country. Data compiled under the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) shows that schools with extremely low or no enrolment have increased sharply in recent years.
A significant regional imbalance has also emerged. Over 70 per cent of schools with no students are located in Telangana and West Bengal, indicating that the problem is concentrated in a few states rather than being evenly spread nationwide.
The data further reveals that the number of government schools with either zero or fewer than 10 students has risen by 24 per cent in just two years. In 2022–23, there were 52,309 such schools, a number that climbed to 65,054 by 2024–25. These institutions now make up 6.42 per cent of all government schools in the country.
Despite the low enrolment, staffing levels remain high. The Ministry reported that more than 1.44 lakh teachers were posted in schools with minimal or no students during the same period. This has raised concerns over teacher deployment, administrative planning, and efficient use of public resources.
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Responding to questions raised in the Lok Sabha by MPs Karti P. Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, the Ministry clarified that education is a subject on the Concurrent List of the Constitution. As a result, the responsibility for running schools and posting teachers lies with state governments and Union Territory administrations.
The Centre said it supports states through the Samagra Shiksha scheme, which aims to improve infrastructure, maintain student–teacher ratios, and strengthen the overall school education system.
