Education Ministry: Just 57% Schools Have Functional Computers, 53% Have Internet Access:

Education Ministry: Just 57% Schools Have Functional Computers, 53% Have Internet Access In accordance with the Union Education Ministry's Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) data, only 57 per cent of schools in the country have functional computers while 53 per cent have Internet access. The UDISE Plus is a data aggregation platform that collects school education data from all over the country and is maintained by the education ministry in India. On the other hand, more than 90 per cent of schools are engaged with basic amenities like electricity and gender-specific toilets, while advanced facilities like functional desktops, Internet access, and ramps with handrails remain limited. The number of students has decreased by 37 lakh to 24.8 crore in 2023-24. Facilitated by the Aadhaar-linked unique educational IDS, the shift from aggregated school-level data to individual student records is a step forward. The Ministry of Education has officially said, "Student-wise data gives a more accurate picture of the education system." The state of West Bengal has 79 per cent foundational and preparatory schools but only 11.6 per cent secondary schools, this creates a risk of heavy dropout rates. As per the reports, Chandigarh's 75 per cent of secondary schools focus more on higher education. The Ministry of Education said, "Despite efforts under the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, infrastructure gaps hinder our progress toward universal education. Optimising resources is key to meeting the ambitious targets for 2030."