Tamil Nadu Blames Falling Birth Rate, Migration For Zero School Enrolment

The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has confirmed that 207 government schools and 869 private schools have had "zero enrolment" this year. However, the state government clarified that it is not due to government neglect but to demographic changes, migration patterns, and parental choices.

Responding to a media report on the closure of schools with no students, the department said the state's falling birth rate is the primary reason for the decline in admissions. Citing Census-based population projections, it noted that Tamil Nadu's total fertility rate (TFR) dropped from 1.68 in 2011-15 to 1.54 in 2021-25, with the number of children born annually falling from over 10.7 lakh in 2011 to 9.02 lakh in 2023, and further to 8.46 lakh in 2024 - a 6.2% drop in just one year.

Of the 1,204 schools with zero enrolment across management categories, 208 are government-run (including Adi Dravidar welfare, tribal welfare, and municipal schools), with the majority located in rural or remote areas. In many of these localities, there are simply no children of school-going age, or children have moved with their families to towns, cities, or other states for employment.

The department also pointed out that some families opt for private schools, paying fees for English-medium education despite the availability of nearby government institutions.

While 72 per cent of zero-enrolment schools are in the self-financing category, officials stressed that government schools with no students will be reopened if new enrolments arise.

Tamil Nadu currently has 37,595 government schools serving over 42.5 lakh students, and this academic year, 4,07,379 students have joined Class 1 in government and middle schools.

The department listed several initiatives to attract and retain students - including smart classrooms, hi-tech labs, expanded noon meal schemes, recruitment to fill vacant teacher posts, school infrastructure upgrades, and extracurricular encouragement through sports and cultural festivals.

Government data also showed that in 2024-25, government and aided schools have 1.75 lakh more students than private self-financing schools - countering perceptions of large-scale migration to private education. The department reiterated its commitment to increasing enrolment in the coming years.