Archive · 23 Sep 2026
State Weighs Public Uses for 933 Empty Schools
The government says 933 aided schools have no students and have been unused for years.
It plans to inspect their buildings, land and other facilities.
The government may use some buildings for health, training, animal-care or community services.
Officials will first consider whether each school can be brought back to life.
Several school heads say the schools should be revived instead of being repurposed.
They suggest improving buildings, hiring teachers and adding English-medium classes.
They also say these schools are important for children whose families cannot afford private schools.
The education minister says the government is not currently planning to give the properties to private businesses.
Assets at 933 government-aided schools with zero enrolment will be handed to the state government for possible reuse.
District committees headed by magistrates will inspect buildings, land, amenities and each school’s potential for revival or alternative use.
Possible facilities include training centres, health centres, veterinary or livestock units, and community services.
School heads urged the government to restore enrolment, citing teacher quality, infrastructure and access for first-generation learners.
Minister Dipak Barman denied plans for public-private partnerships, while officials said many urban parents prefer private English-medium schools.
- Who
- The West Bengal school education department, Education Minister Dipak Barman, district magistrate-led committees and heads of affected schools are involved.
- What
- Assets at 933 government-aided schools with zero student enrolment will be assessed and transferred to the state government for possible revival or alternative public use.
- When
- The schools reportedly attracted no students for about 20 years; the announcement was made on Monday, and a related departmental order was issued on Wednesday, including an order dated September 18 in one report.
- Where
- The schools are in West Bengal, with many reportedly located in urban areas including Calcutta.
- Why
- The government says the schools’ buildings and land are lying unused because the institutions failed to attract students, while school heads argue that enrolment should first be restored.
Government and Repurposing Position
School Heads and Revival Position
How to handle empty schools
Government and Repurposing Position
The government says unused buildings and land should be assessed and potentially used for public services, while schools that can attract students may be revived.
School Heads and Revival Position
School heads say authorities should first investigate the causes of low enrolment and restore the institutions rather than repurpose their assets.
Reasons for zero enrolment
Government and Repurposing Position
Education officials say many urban parents prefer private English-medium schools over Bengali-medium government-aided schools, and that some schools closed because they had no students.
School Heads and Revival Position
School heads say poor teaching, infrastructure problems and the needs of first-generation learners should be examined before schools are closed or converted.
English-medium sections
Government and Repurposing Position
The government’s plan focuses on assessing assets and possible uses; the minister also referred to considering the future of schools that fail to attract students where nearby schools have many pupils.
School Heads and Revival Position
The West Bengal Head Masters’ Association proposed English-medium sections and qualified teachers as ways to revive schools, particularly where parents prefer English-medium education.
Private-sector involvement
Government and Repurposing Position
Barman said no school has joined the PPP model and that the government has not considered introducing it.
School Heads and Revival Position
The lack of an apparent revival plan has led to speculation among school representatives that the properties could eventually be used through PPP schemes.
- Affected schools
- 933 government-aided schools with zero student enrolment
- Unused period
- The schools reportedly failed to attract students for about 20 years
- Assets
- Land, buildings and other physical infrastructure
- Inspection body
- District committees headed by district magistrates
- Possible uses
- Training centres, health centres, veterinary or livestock facilities, and community or public-service facilities
- Revival assessment
- Each committee must state whether a school can be revived or should become an alternative facility
- PPP position
- Dipak Barman said no public-private partnership plan is currently being considered
