14,829 government primary schools have fewer than 30 students, claims Anbumani

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss has claimed that 14,829 of Tamil Nadu’s 24,349 government primary schools have fewer than 30 students across all five classes, and said the trend was a matter of concern.

Citing government enrollment data, he said 6,635 schools had fewer than 20 students and 3,027 had fewer than 10 students. He said the five northern districts of Tiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri, Salem, Cuddalore, and Tiruvallur together accounted for 3,062 of the schools with low enrolment.

Dr. Anbumani claimed that enrollment in government schools had fallen from 50.42 lakh in 2022-23 to 43.03 lakh in 2025-26. He attributed the decline to teacher shortages and inadequate infrastructure.

He urged the State government to appoint adequate teachers, improve infrastructure, and increase the allocation to the School Education Department by 50% immediately and double it over the next three years, warning that schools with very low enrolment could otherwise face closure.

Published - September 17, 2026 02:16 pm IST