Tamil Nadu govt school enrolment drops by 7.39 lakh in just 3 years

PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the Tamil Nadu government to address declining enrolment in government schools, citing UDISE data showing a 43% drop over 11 years. He blamed teacher shortages and poor infrastructure as private school admissions continue to rise.

In Short

• Tamil Nadu govt school enrolment fell over 43% in 11 years
• Government schools lost 32.49 lakh students since 2015-16
• PMK urges urgent govt action to improve schools

PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss has expressed concern over the sharp decline in enrolment in Tamil Nadu's government schools, urging the state government to treat the latest UDISE data as a wake-up call.

He said the continued fall in public school admissions points to long-standing issues such as severe teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure, warning that government schools cannot be revived without addressing these challenges on priority.

Citing data from the Union Education Ministry's Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), Ramadoss said enrolment in Tamil Nadu's government schools has fallen by more than 43 per cent over the past 11 years, while private schools have continued to see a rise in admissions.

He also pointed out that the state's overall student enrolment across government and private schools declined by 1.15 lakh in the past year, according to the latest UDISE figures.

GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS LOSE OVER 32 LAKH STUDENTS IN 11 YEARS

PMK president further added that the number of students in government schools alone has plummeted by 2.07 lakh and the government should treat this as a serious warning bell.

"In the academic year 2024-25, the number of students enrolled in government schools stood at 45,10,612. In 2025-26, this figure dropped to 43.03 lakh, marking a loss of 2.07 lakh students in just one year," he said, citing the data.

According to Ramadoss, government schools in Tamil Nadu have lost nearly 7.39 lakh students in just three years. He said enrolment dropped from 50,42,026 in the 2022-23 academic year to the latest figures, reflecting a sharp decline.

Referring to the long-term trend, he pointed out that government schools had 75.52 lakh students in 2015-16. Based on the UDISE data, he said enrolment has since fallen by 32.49 lakh students—a decline of 43.02 per cent over the past 11 years.

TEACHER SHORTAGE, INFRASTRUCTURE GAPS BLAMED FOR DECLINE

Highlighting the contrasting trend, Ramadoss said private school enrolment increased from 60.26 lakh to 62.03 lakh over the past year, registering a rise of 1.77 lakh students.

Looking at the longer-term trend, he said private school enrolment has surged from 36.56 lakh in 2015-16 to 62.03 lakh in 2025-26. "Private schools are clearly thriving at the expense of government schools' decline, which is a deeply worrying trend," he said.

The PMK leader alleged that inadequate infrastructure and an acute shortage of teachers are the primary reasons behind the steady decline in government school enrolment.

"How can we improve or revitalise government schools when more than one lakh classrooms are currently operating without teachers?" he asked. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to take immediate steps to strengthen school infrastructure and significantly increase teacher recruitment to reverse the trend.

(With PTI inputs)

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