Key Highlights:

  • West Bengal is considering a public-private partnership (PPP) model for 4,133 state-run schools with no enrolled students, despite having teachers attached.
  • A decision is expected within a month, with district-level committees already examining infrastructure and location of these schools.
  • Not all 4,133 schools are likely to move to the PPP model; some may be repurposed as health or training centres.
  • Letters have been sent to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to decide the fate of similarly affected schools in the state capital.
  • Teachers attached to these schools may be transferred to nearby state-run schools with low teacher-student ratios.

A Growing Problem of Empty Schools

The West Bengal government is considering adopting the public-private partnership (PPP) model for running 4,133 state-run schools in the state that do not have a single enrolled student, despite still having teachers attached to their panels.

A Decision Expected Soon

"A decision on this count will be taken within the next one month. Already 4,133 schools have been identified which do not have a single student though there are teachers attached to it. Such a situation cannot be continued for an indefinite period. Hence, planning is there how these schools can be utilised in future and on this count the running of these educational entities in the PPP model seems to be most viable alternative," said an officer from the state school education department.

District-Level Assessment Already Underway

It is learnt that on the instructions of the state school education secretary, District Magistrates have already started working on this issue. This early, decentralised assessment suggests the government is treating the matter with a degree of urgency, given the scale of resources currently tied up in schools that serve no students.

A Structured Committee Process

"A committee will work at the district level to examine the current situation of the schools. The committee will examine several factors including the infrastructure and location of the school buildings and send proposals on how they can be used," the department official said, indicating that the eventual decision on each school's future will be informed by a fairly detailed, location-specific evaluation rather than a blanket policy applied uniformly across all 4,133 institutions.

Not All Schools Expected to Go the PPP Route

According to the official, it is quite unlikely that PPP models would be adopted for all such 4,133 schools, suggesting that the government anticipates a mixed outcome depending on each school's specific circumstances, such as location, condition and potential private-sector interest.

Alternative Uses for Non-PPP Schools

"In that case, those school buildings where the PPP would not be implemented, might be used for alternative purposes," he said. Elaborating further, the official noted, "Such school buildings, where the PPP model would not be applicable, could be used either as health centers or training centers or any other administrative purpose. However, the priority will be to ensure to bring as many schools as possible under the PPP model."

Addressing the Situation in Kolkata Specifically

Besides the district magistrates, letters from the department had also gone to the commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, to decide on the fate of those schools in the state capital which do not have a single student, though there are teachers attached to them, indicating that the issue extends into the city itself and is being handled through a parallel administrative channel given Kolkata's distinct municipal governance structure.

What Happens to the Attached Teachers

According to the official, teachers who are attached to such schools might be transferred to the nearest state-run schools where the teacher-to-student ratio is low, addressing a practical staffing concern that arises directly from any decision to repurpose or restructure these zero-enrolment schools. This proposed reassignment would help ensure that teaching staff currently attached to non-functional schools are redirected to institutions where their presence could meaningfully improve educational outcomes for students who are actually enrolled.