A total of 7,993 schools had no students this year - a decline of more than 5,000 compared to 12,954 schools the previous year. Despite having no students, these institutions collectively employed 20,817 teachers, with West Bengal alone accounting for 17,965 teachers and 3,812 schools without enrolments.

The second-highest number of zero-enrolment schools was found in Telangana (2,245), followed by Madhya Pradesh (463). Telangana employed 1,016 teachers in these schools, while Madhya Pradesh had 223.

In Uttar Pradesh, 81 schools reported zero enrolments. The Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (UP Board) has announced plans to withdraw recognition from schools that have seen no student enrolments for three consecutive academic years.

Meanwhile, Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura reported no zero-enrolment schools. The same applied to the Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, and Chandigarh. Delhi also had none.

A senior education ministry official said, “School education is a state subject. States have been advised to address the issue of zero enrolments. Some have merged under-enrolled schools to optimise the use of infrastructure and teaching staff.”

Separately, official figures show that over 33 lakh students are enrolled in more than one lakh single-teacher schools nationwide. Andhra Pradesh has the highest number of such schools, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Lakshadweep.