According to government data, thousands of government schools in the country have no students enrolled, yet teachers and staff are deployed there. The highest number of such schools is in Telangana and West Bengal. Let's look at the figures...

A shocking picture has emerged regarding the country's education system. According to data provided by the government in Parliament, there are a total of 10.13 lakh government schools in India, of which 5149 schools have no students enrolled. This means that the school building exists, teachers are deployed, but there are no students to teach.

Where are the emptiest schools?

According to government data, more than 70 percent of the schools that recorded zero enrollment in the 2024-25 academic session are in just two states: Telangana and West Bengal. In Telangana, there are 2081 government schools with no students, while in West Bengal, the number of such schools is 1571.

Situation in the Districts

In Telangana's Nalgonda district, the highest number of 315 government schools are completely empty. This is followed by the Mahbubabad district with 167 schools and Warangal district with 135 schools where not a single student is enrolled. These figures indicate that public trust in government schools is continuously declining in many areas.

Situation in West Bengal

In West Bengal, the state capital Kolkata has 211 government schools with no students enrolled. This is the second-highest figure in the country.  Besides this, Purba Medinipur district has 177 and Dakshin Dinajpur district has 147 government schools lying vacant.

Schools with Low Enrollment Also Increased

Not only zero enrollment, but the number of government schools with fewer than 10 students has also increased rapidly. In 2022-23, the number of such schools was 52,309, which increased to 65,054 in 2024-25. This is an increase of approximately 24 percent in two years. Now, such schools constitute 6.42 percent of the total government schools in the country. Teachers Present, But No Students

The most surprising aspect is that despite the lack of students, a large number of teachers are deployed in these schools.  Across the country, 1.44 lakh teachers are working in schools with low or zero enrollment, compared to 1.26 lakh in 2022-23.

State-wise Figures

In West Bengal, there are 6,703 such government schools with 27,348 teachers deployed, meaning an average of four teachers per school. In Bihar, 730 schools with low enrollment have 3,600 teachers appointed, which is approximately five teachers per school. This figure is significantly higher than the national average of 22.

Government's Response

The Ministry of Education has clarified that the recruitment and proper deployment of teachers is the responsibility of the state governments. The central government states that states should manage teacher deployment effectively at their level.

Decline in the Number of Schools

Government data also reveals a decline in the total number of government schools in the country. While there were 10.32 lakh government schools in 2019-20, this number has decreased to 10.13 lakh in 2024-25.

A Major Question Mark on the Education System

These figures raise serious questions about the education system. When there are no children in the schools, why are there teachers? Are resources being utilized effectively? And isn't there a need for a new policy regarding government schools? This report clearly shows that reforms in the education system are now urgently needed.