Digital Divide in Schools

The data highlights a significant disparity between private and government schools in terms of digital infrastructure.

  • Of the 3.3 lakh private unaided schools, 60 per cent are equipped with desktop computers, 40.8 per cent with laptops or notebooks and 34.6 percent have smart classrooms.
  • In contrast, only 21.4 percent of the 10.1 lakh government schools have desktops, 22.2 percent have tablets, and 21.2 percent have smart classrooms.
Digital Divide in Schools

Overall, basic amenities in schools have been improving.

  • In 2019-20, 93.8 percent of schools in India had functional drinking water , which increased to 95.9 per cent in 2023-24.
  • Similarly, the availability of functional girls’ toilets improved from 92.4 percent to 92.9 percent while access to functional electricity rose significantly from 80.2 percent to 89.7 percent during the same period.
    • Digital Divide in Schools
  • Availability of functional computer and internet facilities has also grown over the past five years, though only in about half of the schools in India.
    • Functional computers increased from 37.1 per cent in 2019-20 to 50.9 per cent in 2023-24 while internet access saw a dramatic rise from 22.3 percent to 53.9 percent.
    • Among the States, Delhi, Kerala and Punjab have the highest percentage of schools with functional computer facilities , at 99.9 percent, 99.1 percent and 96.8 percent respectively.
    • In contrast, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have the lowest percentages , with only 18.4 percent, 21.8 percent and 33.8 percent of schools equipped with functional computer facilities respectively.
    Digital Divide in Schools

Reasons for the lack of Digital infrastructure in schools

  • These include budgetary constraints, frequent power cuts, slow internet speeds, inadequate basic infrastructure and the absence of sustained digital resources.
  • Many schools still rely on traditional teaching methods , and there is resistance to change due to a lack of professional development for educators.
  • Much of the government and aided schools don’t have adequate budgeting or training of faculty. It requires support on the front of education investment and revamping of campuses.
  • What might help is an association with connectivity providers and outsourcing the computer labs in government schools.
  • The Oxfam India Inequality Report 2022 highlighted that existing income inequality, gender divide and caste disparity make the use of digital infrastructure in schools unviable.
    • Digital divide is exacerbated by prohibitive cost of edtech products, which on the market are equivalent to 77.5 percent of the per capita income for its lowest wealth quintile.