Decline in Government Schools Amidst Rise in Schools with Low Enrollment
The number of government schools across India has seen a decline over the last six years, according to data presented by the Union Government in Parliament on Monday, December 1, 2025. The information, provided by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), also revealed a concerning trend: a steady increase in the number of government schools with fewer than 10 or even zero student enrollments over the past three years.
This data was compiled in response to questions posed in Lok Sabha by Congress MPs Karti Chidambaram and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring. The figures indicate that in the academic year 2022-23, there were 52,300 government schools struggling with minimal student numbers. By 2024-25, this figure had alarmingly risen to over 65,000.
State-Wise Distribution of Schools with Low Enrollment
A closer look at the data reveals a concentration of these schools in specific states. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana account for the highest number of government schools grappling with critically low student enrollment.
Teacher Numbers Rise Despite Low Enrollment
Paradoxically, the data also shows an increase in the number of teachers employed in these schools. The number of teachers rose from 1.26 lakh in 2022-23 to 1.44 lakh in 2024-25. This raises questions about resource allocation and the effectiveness of teacher deployment in these institutions.
Government's Response and Decentralized Management
In his response, Mr. Pradhan emphasized that while education is included in the concurrent list of the Constitution, the critical aspects of teacher recruitment, remuneration, and appropriate deployment are the responsibility of the respective State Governments and Union Territory (U.T.) Administrations. This highlights the decentralized nature of educational management in India and the challenges in implementing uniform policies across the country.
School Closures, Mergers, and Repurposing
The government also addressed questions regarding government schools that have been closed, merged, or repurposed due to low or zero enrollment. The UDISE+ data presented showed an overall decline in the total number of schools across all States and U.T.s. Specifically, the number of government schools decreased from 10.32 lakh in 2019-20 to 10.13 lakh in 2024-25. However, the government did not provide a breakdown of how much of this reduction was attributable to closures, mergers, or repurposing initiatives.
Reporting Mechanisms and Transparency
Regarding the status and annual reports of government schools, Mr. Pradhan clarified that, according to regulations issued by the Department of Expenditure in 2016, State and U.T. governments are required to submit annual and audit reports to their respective Assemblies before forwarding them to the Centre for presentation in Parliament. Union Territories without legislatures send the reports directly to the Centre. The government, however, stopped short of specifying when the last such report was submitted, leaving room for questions about the timeliness and transparency of the reporting process.
