New Delhi: Even as facilities in schools have improved over the years, digital gaps in classrooms remain a concern, with Bihar and West Bengal faring poorly in 2024-25, according to the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report released Thursday.
Only 25.2 percent schools in Bihar and 25.1 percent schools in West Bengal—including both government and private—have computer facilities respectively, as against the nationwide 64.7 percent in the 2024–25 academic year.
Both states have large populations and are in the eastern part of the country. They are also headed to the polls, with Bihar set for elections in November and Bengal voting in the first half of the next year.
It is pertinent to note that Meghalaya is at the bottom with barely 19.7 percent of schools having computer facilities. Overall, the national average showed an improvement as it crossed the 60-percent mark, up from 57.2 percent in 2023-24.
The UDISE+ report, which the Ministry of Education released Thursday, provides information on enrollment and dropout rates of school students, number of teachers in schools, and information on infrastructural facilities like toilets, electricity, water, availability of computers among others.
Giving further breakdown, the report shows the fragile state of infrastructure in Bihar government schools. While 72 percent of private schools in the state have computer facilities, the percentage drops to just 16.5 percent in the government sector.
The scenario is flipped in Bengal as the 21.3 percent government schools have access to computer facilities, whereas it is 53.3 percent for private schools.
When it comes to internet connectivity, which goes in tandem with computer facilities, West Bengal comes at the bottom with only 18.6 percent of schools having such access.
In contrast, Chandigarh, Delhi and Lakshadweep boast 100 percent access to internet in their schools. Overall, 63.5 percent of schools in India have access to internet facilities, an improvement of nearly 10 percentage points from the previous year.
Improvement in water, toilet access
While Indian schools may be lacking in terms of access to digital learning, there has been a gradual improvement in facilities like access to drinking water and toilets.
The annual report highlights that 99.3 percent of schools across India now have access to drinking water facilities within school premises, a slighly higher than 95.9 percent in 2023-24. Overall, 12 states and Union Territories have achieved 100 percent success in this parameter.
Similarly, functional toilet facilities are now available across 95.8 percent of schools across India. In 2023-24, it was 95.4 percent. Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have some catching up to do as they are at the lower end with 75.6 percent and 79.7 percent, respectively.
Some of this success can be attributed to the Swachh Vidyalaya, a subset of the Swachh Bharat Mission, under which every school in India must have functioning and well-maintained water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities including separate toilets for boys and girls.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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