Education Ministry: 53% of schools have Internet connectivity and 57% of schools have working computers

There have also been changes in the enrollment landscape, with the overall number of students falling from 37 lakh to 24.8 crore in 2023–2024.

The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 report highlights the mixed picture of progress and ongoing issues in India’s school infrastructure. Advanced facilities like working desktop computers, internet access, and ramps with handrails are still few in schools, even though more than 90% of them have basic conveniences like power and gender-specific restrooms.

The fact that just 57.2% of schools have working computers, 53.9% have internet, and 52.3% have ramps highlights the serious inequalities in digital preparedness and accessibility.

The enrollment situation has changed; in 2023–2024, there were 24.8 crore students overall, a decrease of 37 lakh. The enrollment rate is 48.1% for girls and 51.9% for boys. Aadhaar-linked unique educational IDs have made it easier to go from aggregated school-level data to individual student records.

According to a study, middle school dropout rates fall from 5.2% to 10.9% at the secondary level. Together with Aadhaar, the implementation of distinct educational IDs seeks to expedite beneficiary identification for government programs, minimizing duplication and fostering fair resource distribution.  

The situation is made more difficult by differences between states. West Bengal has only 11.6% secondary schools and 79% foundational and preparatory schools, which puts the state at risk for greater dropout rates. On the other hand, Chandigarh’s secondary schools, which make up 75.6% of the total, show a concentration on higher education, yet just 6.1% of them are foundational institutions. These difficulties are made worse by deficiencies in the infrastructure and problems with teacher deployment. “Infrastructure deficiencies impede our progress toward universal education, notwithstanding NEP’s efforts. “Meeting the ambitious targets for 2030 requires optimizing resources,” the ministry official continued.

Pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) and teacher deployment are still important concerns. At the secondary level, a number of states surpass the NEP-recommended PTR of 30:1, including West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand. On the other hand, Chandigarh and Delhi have PTRs that are ideal and in line with NEP standards. However, because of poor student-to-school ratios, states like Assam, Odisha, and Karnataka have underutilized infrastructure.

UDISE+ data provides a snapshot of representation, and NE places a high priority on equity and inclusion. Of the total number of pupils enrolled, 48.1% are girls, 20% are minorities, and 79.6% of these students are Muslim. According to social category data, OBC students make up 45.2% of the student body, followed by SC students (18%) and ST students (9.9%). Although the national rate of Aadhaar seeding is 79.4%, states such as Meghalaya (24.1%), Bihar (38.8%), and Manipur (51.8%) lag behind, which may affect the effectiveness of targeted interventions.