Telugu-medium schools in neighbouring states used to be lively centers packed with students. Now, across Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat, these schools are quietly shrinking—or vanishing completely. Fewer kids are enrolling, there aren’t enough teachers, state language policies get stricter, and schools just can’t keep up. Many have either had to shut their doors or switch to teaching in English or the local state language, leaving Telugu families anxious about their children losing touch with their mother tongue.

Tamil Nadu: Policy Shifts Drive Conversions

The 2006 Compulsory Tamil Learning Act made both Tamil and English compulsory in all schools. Students from non-Tamil backgrounds could technically learn their mother tongue, but no separate marks or classes were set aside for Telugu. For exams, they had to be written in Tamil.

Key locations are… Chennai, Madurai, Hosur, Thalli, Kelamangalam, Shoolagiri, and Vepanapalli in Krishnagiri districts. Hundreds of Telugu-medium schools that once thrived in these areas switched almost entirely to English after 2006. At this point, Telugu is a “medium of instruction” only in name.

West Bengal: Teacher Shortages & Falling Enrolment

West Bengal’s industrial and railway towns used to have strong Telugu communities. Now, Telugu education there is hard to find.

Key locations: Kolkata, Kharagpur, Serampore, Titagarh, Santragachi, and Adra.

The state once had 35 Telugu primary schools, 15 secondary schools, and 3 higher secondary schools (covering classes 1–7 in Telugu).  Half the primary schools have closed. The Adra school shut its doors over 15 years ago. By 2000, even the remaining secondary schools had switched to English, thanks to low student numbers and no assigned Telugu teachers. Today, Telugu survives only as a side subject.

Maharashtra: A Historic Network Reduced to 10 Schools

Maharashtra’s Telugu diaspora is huge, but Telugu schools keep vanishing. Telugu population hubs are… Mumbai, Bhiwandi, Solapur, Ahmednagar, Chandrapur, Aheri, Nanded, and Aurangabad.

Once, there were 50 primary and upper-primary schools, plus 4 full high schools (up to Class 12). Only 10 Telugu-medium schools are still running. Primary schools in Pune, Solapur, Chandrapur, and Ballarsha have converted to English to attract students. In all of Mumbai, just one school still offers Telugu as an elective up to Class 12.

Karnataka: Mergers and Single-Teacher Strain

In border regions like Ballari, Telugu education goes back to the pre-independence era. Now, state support has thinned out. Key location is Ballari district. Historically, there were 33 Telugu schools and 5 high schools. Today, just 13 primary and 4 high schools remain. Schools with fewer students have merged with nearby Kannada-medium schools. Because of a freeze on recruiting new Telugu teachers, single teachers often carry the whole load, teaching everything (except Kannada) by themselves.

Gujarat: Shift to Regional and National Mediums

Gujarat has anywhere from 600,000 to 700,000 Telugu residents, mainly working in textiles and manufacturing. Key locations are… Surat, Ahmedabad, Gandhidham, and Navsari (Gandevi region with 500–600 Telugu families).

Up to 2015, Surat alone had a high school and 20 primary schools in Telugu medium. Practically every Telugu-medium school in Surat has now switched to Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, or English. Only four schools keep Telugu as a single subject. Two schools in Ahmedabad, founded in 1977, have closed. Schools in Gandhidham and Navsari disappeared or converted to Gujarati seven or eight years ago.

Growing Concern Among Diaspora Associations

Telugu cultural groups in these states are sounding the alarm. With barely any government recruitment of mother-tongue teachers and little support for native-language instruction, Telugu kids growing up outside Andhra Pradesh and Telangana simply don’t learn to read or write in their own language at school. Community leaders warn: Without urgent action or real policy changes, Telugu-medium education outside the home states could disappear for good.