single-teacher schools

India recorded a net decline of 3,282 single-teacher schools in 2025-26, with their total number falling from 1,04,125 in 2024-25 to 1,00,843, according to data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+). The figures were also presented in the Rajya Sabha in late July in response to a question concerning teacher vacancies. A single-teacher school is one where one teacher handles multiple classes and subjects, making it an important indicator of staffing shortages and resource constraints in school education. However, the national decline masks significant differences between states. Five states alone reported a combined reduction of more than 11,000 single-teacher schools, more than three times the overall national decline. This was offset by substantial increases in several other states, resulting in a net reduction of 3,282 schools nationally. Madhya Pradesh records biggest decline Madhya Pradesh reported the largest reduction, with its number of single-teacher schools dropping from 7,217 in 2024-25 to 2,269 in 2025-26 — a fall of 4,948 schools. Chhattisgarh recorded the second-largest decline, reducing its count by 3,512, from 5,973 to 2,461. Uttar Pradesh, which continues to have one of the highest numbers of such schools among major states, saw the figure fall from 9,508 to 7,874, a reduction of 1,634. Punjab and Gujarat also registered notable declines, with their single-teacher school numbers falling by 682 and 601 respectively. Andhra Pradesh sees largest increase In contrast, Andhra Pradesh recorded the biggest increase in the country. The state’s single-teacher schools rose from 12,912 in 2024-25 to 16,357 in 2025-26, an increase of 3,445. Maharashtra reported an addition of 1,117 such schools, while Rajasthan saw an increase of 1,083. Karnataka and Jharkhand recorded increases of 693 and 655 respectively. The contrasting trends indicate that the national improvement has not been evenly distributed across the country. Government response does not explain state-wise variation The Centre’s response in the Rajya Sabha did not provide a state-specific explanation for the sharp variations. It cited factors such as teacher retirements, resignations, creation of new posts, rationalisation of teacher deployment and changes in student enrolment as general reasons for teacher vacancies. The government also did not provide the state-wise sanctioned, working and vacant teacher positions sought in the original question. It said such information is maintained by individual state governments and Union Territory administrations. Instead, the response provided the number of teachers currently in position and the number of single-teacher schools based on UDISE+ 2025-26 data. This means the available figures alone cannot establish whether reductions in single-teacher schools were primarily due to new teacher appointments. Other factors, including school mergers, closures or changes in classification, could also have contributed. Pupil-teacher ratio indicates improvement The latest data also point towards relatively favourable pupil-teacher ratios, although the two years cannot be compared directly because the figures were presented differently. UDISE+ 2024-25 reported an overall national pupil-teacher ratio of 24 students per teacher. For 2025-26, the government provided level-wise ratios of 19 at the primary level, 17 at upper primary, 15 at secondary and 23 at higher secondary. All four ratios are below the 2024-25 composite figure. The government said these figures remain within the benchmarks outlined under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which recommends a pupil-teacher ratio below 30 nationally and below 25 in areas with a high proportion of socio-economically disadvantaged students. While the figures suggest an improvement in teacher availability, the different methods of reporting mean they should not be treated as a direct year-on-year comparison. Source: Indian Express