Kolkata, July 8: A total of 348 schools exist across 23 districts in West Bengal that have no student enrolment – categorized as ‘zero enrolment’, records revealed. Most of the schools are in Kolkata and North 24 Parganas.
Internal records from the West Bengal School Education Department reveal that Kolkata accounts for more than 34% of all schools in the state that currently have no student enrolment.
These institutions, categorized as zero-enrolment schools, are those with no active student registrations. Many have remained without students since 2020, prompting the state government to move forward with plans to shut them down.
Among these, Kolkata leads with 119 non-functional schools—making up 34.19% of the total. North 24 Parganas ranks next with 60 such schools (17.24%), followed by Howrah with 24 (6.89%), and East Burdwan with 18 (5.17%).
On the opposite end, Cooch Behar district in North Bengal has only one zero-enrolment school, making it the best performer in this context. Birbhum and Kalimpong each have just two schools without students.
Commenting on the situation, BJP state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay termed it a “grim indicator” of the state’s deteriorating education system. “Several of these schools have existed for over five decades. Beyond these, many schools are facing critically low student numbers and are likely to be closed in a phased manner,” he stated.
He further added, “While other states are setting up new schools, West Bengal is shutting down its existing ones. This is where education stands after 14 years under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.”
Earlier this month, BJP’s IT Cell head and central observer for Bengal, Amit Malviya, also criticized the state government. He pointed to the increasing trend of undergraduate students leaving West Bengal to pursue higher education elsewhere. Malviya referred to the recent extension of the college admission deadline by two weeks as an indication of waning interest in state-run institutions.
State education officials, including Education Minister Bratya Basu, have not made any official comment on the matter. (Edited)
