With connectivity gains, government schools narrow digital divide
Government schools in India have significantly improved their internet connectivity and smart classroom infrastructure between 2023 and 2026. While the digital divide between government and private schools is narrowing, regional disparities remain, with states like West Bengal lagging behind.
Why it matters
Closing the digital divide in education is essential for equitable access to modern learning resources in developing nations.
NEW DELHI: Government schools have made the sharpest gains in internet connectivity over three years, increasing coverage from 46.2% in 2023-24 to 63.1% in 2025-26 and narrowing their gap with aided and private schools from about 28 percentage points to around 16. Their share of functional smart classrooms also rose from 21.2% to 32.2%, though it remains below aided schools at 41% and private unaided schools at 39.9%.The latest UDISE+ report shows 67.4% of schools had internet facilities, up from 63.5% in 2024-25 and 53.9% in 2023-24, and that all schools in Goa have internet coverage while West Bengal lags at 19.7% in 2025-26.Excluding UTs, Andhra Pradesh followed Goa at 99.2% coverage, ahead of Tamil Nadu at 99%, Gujarat at 96.8% and Kerala at 92.6%.
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