Tamil Nadu School Education Minister K A Sengottayan Thursday told the Assembly that there were no students in 45 schools in the state and asserted that the government, however, has no intention to shut any of them.

Replying to DMK legislator Thangam Thennarasu, who wanted the State to continue to run 1,248 schools since these were intended to be converted into libraries by the government (in view of reported poor enrolments), the Minister said it was not the case.

Thennarasu, a former Minister also said libraries set up in over 12,000 village panchayats (during the DMK regime), under Anna Marumalarchi Thittam were allegedly dysfunctional and wanted them to be revamped and put into effective use.

The Minister said since there were no students in 45 schools, it is being planned to use them as libraries -as a temporary measure- and efforts will continue to be made to enhance enrolments in State-run schools.

Teachers from such schools were being deployed in nearby schools, he added.

On Marumalarchi Plan libraries, the Minister said the member need not be concerned at all since these were functional.