Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Bengal Government to Verify Zero-Enrolment Schools, Assess Future Uses
West Bengal has found thousands of schools listed as having no students.
The government will send teams to visit 4,133 of these schools.
Officials want to check whether the records are correct.
Some private schools may have listed teachers but failed to update their student information.
Each district will form a committee led by its district magistrate.
The committees will inspect the buildings, land and basic facilities.
They will also suggest other public uses, such as training or health centres, where appropriate.
The government expects the inspection reports by December 2027.
West Bengal will physically inspect 4,133 schools listed with zero student enrolment.
The schools are among 5,663 zero-enrolment schools recorded across India in UDISE+ data for 2025-26.
Officials suspect some private schools did not correctly upload student information, despite listing 19,502 teachers.
District magistrate-led committees will assess each school’s land, buildings, amenities and physical condition.
Reports are due by December 2027, while 6,769 other West Bengal schools have only one teacher for 2,29,569 students.
- Who
- The West Bengal government, district administrations and district magistrate-led committees are responsible for the inspections.
- What
- Officials will verify 4,133 zero-enrolment schools and assess whether their infrastructure can serve other public purposes.
- When
- The data concerns the 2025-26 academic year, and inspection reports are due by December 2027.
- Where
- Across districts in West Bengal, India.
- Why
- To confirm whether the zero-enrolment figures are accurate, assess the condition of school assets and address uneven teacher distribution.
- Schools under verification
- 4,133 schools in West Bengal reported zero student enrolment.
- India-wide figure
- UDISE+ recorded 5,663 zero-enrolment schools across India for 2025-26.
- Teachers listed
- 19,502 teachers are recorded against the 4,133 West Bengal schools.
- Possible data issue
- Some private schools may have updated teacher details without correctly uploading student information.
- Inspection leadership
- Each district committee will be headed by the district magistrate.
- Possible alternative uses
- Suitable properties could become training centres, health centres or other community facilities.
- Reporting deadline
- District committees must submit findings by December 2027.
- Single-teacher schools
- 6,769 West Bengal schools have one teacher each for a combined 2,29,569 students.