Arunachal closes hundreds of government schools over zero enrollment

A total of 386 government schools across Arunachal Pradesh have been ordered to shut down after reporting zero student enrollment in the current academic year as part of a rationalization drive by the state government.

The Department of Education announced the decision on June 2, following a detailed audit of data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE), which identified numerous schools with no students on record.

The closures affect a wide range of districts, including remote and border regions such as Kurung Kumey, Upper Subansiri, Tawang, Anjaw, and Changlang.

Schools of all levels (primary, upper primary, middle, and secondary) are impacted, many of which have remained non-operational for several years.

“These schools had not recorded any enrollment for multiple academic sessions, raising concerns over their administrative relevance and financial viability,” a senior education department official said.

West Kameng district is the most affected, with 73 closures, followed by Papum Pare (50), West Siang (31), and both Upper Subansiri and Siang with 28 each. Other affected districts include East Kameng (23), Kurung Kumey (22), Changlang (16), Upper Siang (15), Pakke Kessang and Leparada (12 each), and Tawang (11).

Smaller numbers of closures were reported in districts such as Kra Daadi (8), Shi-Yomi (7), and five each in Lower Siang, Tirap, Kamle, and Anjaw. Capital Complex saw four closures, while East Siang had two and Namsai and Dibang Valley had one each.

The Education Department has instructed all Deputy Directors of School Education (DDSEs) and Block Education Officers (BEOs) to carry out the physical closure of the affected schools and facilitate staff redeployment accordingly.

Authorities have assured that any students who may have recently enrolled in the closed institutions will be transferred to nearby functional schools to ensure continuity in their education.

Officials noted that the move aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for the optimization of school infrastructure to improve learning outcomes and efficient use of resources.