Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A total of 2,229 government schools across Madhya Pradesh have been operating with less than 10 students enrolled for several years. This issue affects all levels of government schools, including primary, middle, high, and higher secondary institutions.
According to official data collected by the School Education Department through the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) for the 2023-2024 academic session, this is not limited to rural areas. Schools with fewer than 10 students can be found even in major cities of the state.
Among the districts, Satna has the highest number of such schools, with 158 institutions having less than 10 students. Other districts with significant numbers include Raisen with 125 schools, Narsinghpur with 115, Seoni with 104, Rewa with 91, Vidisha with 86, Bhopal with 35, and Indore with 19 schools facing the same issue. On the other hand, a few districts have managed to keep this problem to a minimum. Niwari has only one school with fewer than 10 students, followed by Burhanpur with two, Khandwa with three, Tikamgarh with five, and Sheopur with six schools.
Additionally, the Department of Public Instruction stated that the Right to Education (RTE) Act of 2009 mandates a pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of 30:1 at the primary level and 35:1 at the upper primary level. An official from the State Education Department stated that in some of these schools, there was previously a surplus of teachers, but they have now been directed to participate in surplus counselling, which is currently being conducted in every district. This process aims to reassign surplus teachers to schools where there is a shortage of teaching staff, he added.
The secretary of the school education department, Sanjay Goyal, said that their first priority is to identify such schools. He said, “Our current focus is on ensuring all students are enrolled, as no student should be left behind. Additionally, schools should remain accessible to all students within their reach”.
Educational Advisor, BN Trishal, told Free Press that the shrinking number of students in these schools raises serious concerns about the future of education. A key factor behind this decline is the lack of accountability on the part of the government. Schools with fewer than 10 enrolled students should now be closed, and those students should be transferred to other schools. “The funds currently spent on maintaining such schools could be better utilized for the overall improvement and development of the students”, added Trishal.
