One teacher each in 6,158 govt schools in K'taka

ABOUT 6,158 government schools in the state have just one teacher each, responsible for 1.38 lakh students, while 530 schools, with zero enrollment -- no students at all -- have 358 teachers.

- RISHITA KHANNA

This shows a serious flaw in the system. While some schools have only a few teachers (one in many cases), others have excess staff despite having zero enrolment.

The department, however, has said that teachers from zero-enrollment schools have been transferred to wherever there is requirement.

The total number of single-teacher schools in the state decreased by 202, from 6,360 in 2023-24 to 6,158 in 2024-25. However, the enrollment also dropped by 33,794, which experts link to a rise in dropout rates.

Lack of subject teachers is driving students away. As in many cases, teachers are assigned only to teach Kannada or social studies and not core subjects such as mathematics and science or even English. At the same time, to maintain the "100% pass rate," schools often "push academically weaker students out", according to experts.