In this ground report from Telangana’s Nalgonda district, India Today correspondent Abdul Basheer highlights the alarming trend of ‘ghost schools’ where government institutions stand empty. Basheer reports that ‘Five out of 99 government schools in this mandal have recorded zero enrollment,’ including the school in Bommapalli village which has been closed to students for two years despite staff attendance. The report reveals that parents are opting for private education due to migration, social status, and a lack of trust in public infrastructure, creating a ‘painful contradiction’ of teachers without students.
