Lok Sabha Question No. 447 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-02
Subject: Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) 2025-26
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Bharti Pardhi, Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde, Shri Ravindra Dattaram Waikar, Shri Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil, Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske, Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

## DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-447

ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026

Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) 2025-26

447. Smt. Bharti Pardhi:

Shri Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne:

Dr. Shrikant Eknath Shinde:

Shri Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil:

Shri Ravindra Dattaram Waikar:

Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the total percentages of schools having computers and internet facilities according to Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26, along with their improvement during the previous years;
- (b) the details of schools lacking essential digital infrastructure, especially in areas where digital access is low, State/UT-wise particularly in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra;
- (c) the details of major challenges that schools face in adopting digital tools, such as device-shortfalls, connectivity issues, maintenance, teacher training and the steps taken by the Government to address the said issue;
- (d) the manner in which the digital infrastructure improvements are linked to learning outcomes or retention; and
- (e) whether schools with better digital tools show better student retention, lower dropouts or better transition rates, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

- (a) and (b): As per UDISE+ (Unified District Information System for Education Plus), State/UT-wise including  Madhya  Pradesh  and  Maharashtra  percentages  of  schools  having  computers  and  internet facilities from the year 2022-23 to 2024-25 are available at https://www.education.gov.in/en/parl\_ques .
- (c) and (d): Education is part of the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the administration of the respective State Governments. There are several comprehensive digital education initiatives undertaken for all students across India. The Ministry of Education implements ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha, aligned with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, to enhance digital learning in Government schools across the country. The initiatives aim to enhance the quality of education by integrating technology into teaching and learning processes including hardware, software, tablets, laptops, and training resources, supporting digital boards, virtual classrooms, and DTH channels.  Under  the  scheme,  funds  are  provided  for  setting  up  ICT  Labs  and  Smart  Classrooms according to the requirement of the State after assessing of the gaps by the States/UTs, submitted in the Annual Work Plan & Budget (AWP&B).

To bridge the digital divide in education, especially after the pandemic, a comprehensive initiative called e-VIDYA is in place which unifies all efforts related to digital/online/on-air education to enable multi-mode  access  to  education.  The  key  components  of  this  initiative  are  DIKSHA  -  the  nation's digital  infrastructure,  200  PM  e-VIDYA  DTH  TV  Channels  to  provide  supplementary  education  in various Indian languages for classes 1st to 12th, ePathshala initiative to disseminate Digital Books and eContents,  eJaadui  Pitara  digital  app  to  supplement  and  complement  the  physical  Jaadui  Pitara,  a vertical on Virtual Labs created on DIKSHA platform where Virtual Labs for Science and Mathematics for  subjects  Class  6th  to  12th  have  been  made  available.  There  are  various  AI  features  available  on DIKSHA  -  Ask  DIKSHA  (Chat  with  Books),  Video  Keyword  Search,  Read  Aloud  and  AI-bases Transition, useful for Personalize Adaptive Learning (PAL).

Digital  Infrastructure  for  Knowledge  Sharing  (DIKSHA)  the  Nation's  digital  infrastructure  for providing  quality  e-content  for  school  education  in  States/UTs  and  QR  coded  Energized  Textbooks (ETBs)  for  all  grades  (One  Nation,  One  Digital  platform).  The  courses  on  Computer  Sciences  on DIKSHA platform for Class XI and Class XII include Digital Literacy components.

An advisory was issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy to all the States & UTs to enter into  an  MoU/  Agreement  with  BSNL and provide  FTTH  Internet  connection  to  all  the Government  Schools  which  have  computing  devices.  States/UTs  have  been  advised  that  the  Internet Charges  can  be  met  from  recurring  charges  being  released  for  ICT  Labs/Smart  Classrooms  under Samagra  Shiksha  or  from  Management,  Monitoring,  Evaluation  and  Research  (MMER)  funds  being released under Samagra Shiksha or can be met from any other State/UT Government funds.

Additionally, the Government of India, as part of the Budget 2025, has announced provision of broadband connectivity to all Government secondary schools in rural areas under Bharat Net project to enhance digital infrastructure in remote areas.

To promote crucial critical thinking skill and to give space for creativity, more than 300 Virtual Labs have been created and made available on DIKSHA platform.

The  Department  of  School  Education  and  Literacy  has  also  launched  a  National  Initiative  to improve learning outcomes at the elementary level through an Integrated Teacher Training Programme called NISHTHA - National Initiative for School Heads' and Teachers' Holistic Advancement under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha. NISHTHA is a capacity building programme for "Improving Quality of School Education through Integrated Teacher Training". NISHTHA online was launched  using  DIKSHA  platform  in  October,  2020.  NISHTHA  training  has  been  extended  to secondary stage teachers in 2021-22. Subsequently, NISHTHA also extended to Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for training of master trainers.

(e): As per UDISE+, percentages of schools having computers, internet facilities, retention rate, dropout rate and transition rate for the year 2023-24 and 2024-25 are available at https://www.education.gov.in/en/parl\_ques .

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