At a glance, it's really hard to find any discrepancies. The school buildings are there, teachers are present, benches are arranged in rows in classrooms, blackboards are hanging. The government allocates funds every year as well. But in the past year, not a single student has enrolled. Classrooms are empty. Education has been shelved.
Such an alarming picture has emerged from data presented in Parliament. In the 2024-25 academic year, not a single student enrolled in 5,149 government schools across the country. Not even one. The most concerning aspect is that 70% of such government schools with zero students are in Telangana and West Bengal. According to statistics, out of 5,149 schools, 3,600 to 3,700 schools are in these two states.
According to government statistics, 6,703 government schools in West Bengal have 10 or fewer students. These schools have 27,348 teachers. 10% of schools with the lowest student enrollment are in West Bengal. On the other hand, Telangana has 5,021 such schools. These schools have 4,850 teachers.
The picture is similar in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. However, the situation is completely opposite in the union territories of Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. There is not a single such school in those states. The enrollment numbers in government schools are truly surprising. However, government statistics show that Puducherry has 2 such schools.
One thing is clear from this data: state governments are still keeping these schools operational. Teachers are present. Funds are being allocated as well. But students are no longer enrolling in schools. Either they are moving to other schools, or they are dropping out of education altogether.
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A section of educationists believes there are multiple reasons behind this. They claim that a large portion of parents are leaning toward English-medium schools due to infrastructure and quality standards. Along with this, the geographical location of schools is also considered a major factor. That is, schools are in places where there are no students. Perhaps there were students at one time. But now the situation has changed. But will the good days of government schools return? This is the biggest question.
