School Education Department Probes Reasons for Zero Enrollment in 28 Government Primary Schools in 2026 in The Nilgiris

The Nilgiris School Education Department said a total of 28 primary schools in the district had zero student enrollment this academic year, leading to fears that parents may be increasingly inclined to admit their children to private schools in the district.

According to ministry officials, the number of students admitted to Class I in government schools has fallen by more than 20 percent this year, from more than 2,100 students in 2025 to a little less than 1,700 this year. Additionally, 28 government primary schools also reported zero student enrollment this academic year, confirmed T. Thirunavukkarasu, director of education, The Nilgiris.

The CEO said a meeting was held with officials of government primary schools in the district to understand the reasons behind the lack of students. These 28 schools are mainly located around Coonoor and Kotagiri blocks, with 14 of them in Udhagamandalam block, the director general confirmed, adding that they have resulted in lower enrollments and fewer students this year.

“The total number of students in all schools, including private ones, has decreased from 97,000 students last year to 87,000 this year,” said Mr. Thirunavukkarasu, adding that migration from the Nilgiris, lower birth rates and other factors may have resulted in fewer children enrolled in schools in the district.

The CEO also said that principals of 28 schools with zero enrollment have been told to conduct awareness campaigns and encourage all school-age children to enroll in schools for the next academic year. He also added that the number of schools with zero enrollment was not significantly higher this year than in other years.

“These schools already had low student numbers because they were located in remote areas. Some of the dwellings served by the school had not seen any births in the last few years, resulting in no school-aged children being able to enroll either,” he said, adding that there were no plans to close any of the schools.

Published – 26 Jun 2026 21:14 IST