Bhubaneswar: The number of single-teacher schools in Odisha has increased dramatically, raising serious concerns about the quality of education in the state, according to the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report released by the Union Ministry of Education.
The report shows that Odisha had 1,458 single-teacher schools in the 2025-26 academic year, a sharp rise from 1,089 in 2024-25 and 1,065 in 2023-24. This represents an addition of 369 schools — or nearly 34% — in just one year, and a nearly 37% increase over two academic sessions. Nearly 60,000 students (59,672) are now studying in these institutions, up from 47,940 the previous year. On an average, each single-teacher school caters to around 41 students, compared with 44 in 2024-25 and 47 in 2023-24.
While the student load per teacher has declined slightly from previous years, educationists warn that the situation severely hampers effective teaching since a single teacher manages all academic grades and subjects simultaneously while shouldering numerous non-teaching duties. These include election-related work, census operations, disaster management, and at least 25 other administrative responsibilities.
Most single-teacher schools are located in remote, tribal, and sparsely populated areas, where teacher vacancies, frequent transfers, and challenges in posting staff persist despite ongoing recruitment drives.
According to experts, prolonged reliance on a lone teacher could adversely affect learning outcomes, particularly in foundational literacy and numeracy, where young children need focused attention and grade-specific instruction.
The state government has acknowledged the staffing challenges, which have worsened due to retirements. School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond has stated that the government has already recruited over 18,000 teachers since assuming office and plans to hire another 10,000 to fill vacancies. Officials further noted that pending promotions are being expedited and teacher rationalisation exercises are underway to redeploy surplus staff to deficit schools.
Odisha has a total of approximately 61,565 schools, with government-run institutions forming the vast majority.
