Overview
- The nationwide count of zero-enrolment schools fell from 12,954 in 2023–24 to 7,993 in 2024–25, a decline of nearly 38 percent, according to the Ministry of Education.
- West Bengal reported 3,812 zero-enrolment schools employing 17,965 teachers, making it a pronounced outlier in the dataset.
- Telangana logged 2,245 such schools with 1,016 teachers, Madhya Pradesh reported 463 with 223 teachers, and Uttar Pradesh counted 81 schools.
- Several jurisdictions reported no zero-enrolment schools, including Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Delhi, and multiple Union Territories.
- A senior official said states have been urged to tackle the issue and some have merged schools to optimise resources, while the UP Board says it is preparing to withdraw recognition from schools with three consecutive years of zero enrolment.