Student absenteeism in government schools crosses one lakh: Education Department

Tamil Nadu: The School Education Department has reported that student enrollment for the academic year 2026-2027 in government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu has crossed one lakh.

The Tamil Nadu School Education Department operates 37,554 government schools. Previously, student registration in these schools began in June, when schools reopened after the summer holidays. However, to increase student enrollment, student registration has been advanced to March 2024, a move that has been widely welcomed by parents. Student registration for the academic year 2026-2027 was launched on March 1 in Chennai by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh. Following this, student enrollment has been underway in government schools across the state. Details of students who have died in the last 58 days have now been released. School Education Department officials said:

As of Monday (April 27), a total of 112,711 students have been admitted to government and government-aided primary and secondary schools for the 2026-2027 academic year, including 97,737 in grade one, 8,178 in grades two to eight, and 6,796 in kindergarten.

Officials also said that awareness campaigns are being conducted in urban and rural areas of Tamil Nadu about the welfare benefits of sending students to government schools.