Telangana to temporarily close ‘Zero-Enrolment’ government schools

The Telangana government has decided to temporarily shut down government schools that currently have no students enrolled. According to the U-DISE+ data for the 2024-25 academic year, out of 2,245 government schools in the state, 1,441 have neither students nor teachers, making Telangana the state with the highest number of “zero-enrolment” schools in the country.

These schools, often referred to as “zero schools,” have no students and no staff. To optimize resources, the government will temporarily close the 1,441 schools with no students and no teachers. Another 600 schools have no students but still have teaching staff, and decisions regarding these schools, along with over 200 others, will be taken soon.

Education officials clarified that if local communities request reopening, the schools will be reinstated immediately, and teachers will be appointed accordingly.

The U-DISE system (Unified District Information System for Education) collects nationwide data on schools each year. Based on this data, the central government provides a performance grading for schools, taking into account factors such as the number of students, teachers, and “zero-enrolment” schools. For example, West Bengal reportedly has 3,812 zero-enrolment schools for 2024-25, but only 1,571 were reflected in the government report to Parliament. Telangana ranks at the top in terms of zero-enrolment schools.

Officials noted that in the past, new schools were established in remote areas based on community demand. The current move to temporarily close schools follows a similar approach, ensuring resources are used efficiently while keeping the option open for reopening if local demand arises.