2,936 Gujarat schools run with single teacher, 63 schools have zero students

A recent NITI Aayog report has raised concerns over the condition of school education in Gujarat, highlighting issues such as single-teacher schools, schools without students, rising dropout rates, and shortage of classrooms.

As per the report, 2,936 schools in Gujarat currently function with only one teacher handling classes from Standards 1 to 8 and teaching multiple subjects. On the other hand, 63 schools reportedly have no students despite 78 teachers being posted there.

The report titled ‘School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement’ also points to infrastructure gaps and student dropout concerns in the state’s education system.

Data cited in the report indicates that nearly 27.6% students drop out before reaching Class 10, amounting to around 2.3 lakh students. It also mentions that nearly 6.4 lakh children remained untracked this year.

Further, Gujarat is reportedly facing a shortage of around 42,000 classrooms.

Reacting to the findings, Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi alleged that the state government’s education policies have adversely affected public education in Gujarat. He claimed that 5,612 schools have shut down during BJP rule, impacting students especially in rural areas.

He also questioned how the state’s education budget allocation of ₹63,134 crore is being utilised despite the reported shortages and educational challenges.