A report from Karur has highlighted a steep fall in enrolment in Tamil Nadu’s government primary schools. Of the state’s 24,349 government primary schools, 9,45,971 students are currently studying, but the number of children joining these schools has been declining year after year.
The data shows that 14,829 schools have fewer than 30 students each—amounting to 60.90% of government primary schools in the state. Among them, 3,027 schools have fewer than 10 students, 6,635 have fewer than 20, and 5,167 have fewer than 30.
Educationists said that despite the availability of English-medium instruction in government schools, some parents continue to believe private schools offer better education. They also pointed to gaps in infrastructure in many schools, including buildings, toilets, laboratories, playgrounds and smart classrooms.
They added that staffing norms under the Right to Education framework mean a school with fewer than 30 students typically has only a headmaster and one teacher, while schools with fewer than 10 students may have only a headmaster. With limited staff handling multiple classes, learning outcomes can be affected.
Another factor cited was the absence of LKG and UKG in most government primary schools, prompting parents to choose private schools from the start. While the state has introduced measures such as a 7.5% quota for government school students in medical and professional courses and a monthly incentive of Rs 1,000 for students studying from Class 6 to Plus Two to support higher education, enrolment continues to fall—raising concerns for candidates who have cleared the Teacher Eligibility Test and are awaiting appointments.
