Government schools close digital gap: internet connectivity surges 17 points in two years
Government schools across India have recorded the sharpest gains in internet connectivity over the past three years, reducing the digital divide with aided and private schools, according to the latest Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report.
The data, covering the period up to 2025-26, shows that internet coverage in government schools rose from 46.2% in 2023-24 to 63.1% in 2025-26. This narrowed the gap with aided and private schools from about 28 percentage points to around 16 points. The share of functional smart classrooms in government schools also increased from 21.2% to 32.2%, though it remains below aided schools at 41% and private unaided schools at 39.9%.
Nationally, 67.4% of all schools now have internet facilities, up from 63.5% in 2024-25 and 53.9% in 2023-24. Among states, Goa has achieved 100% internet coverage, while West Bengal lags at 19.7% in 2025-26. Excluding Union Territories, Andhra Pradesh follows Goa with 99.2% coverage, ahead of Tamil Nadu (99%), Gujarat (96.8%) and Kerala (92.6%). At the lower end, after West Bengal, are Arunachal Pradesh (36%), Meghalaya (36.4%), Manipur (38.8%) and Tripura (42.5%).
The report notes significant improvements in some states: Goa rose from 87.6% in 2023-24 to full coverage, and Andhra Pradesh from 93.9% to 99.2%. Among the bottom five, Meghalaya gained nearly 12 percentage points and Tripura over seven, while West Bengal edged up from 17.5% to 19.7%.
Management-wise, internet access in government-aided schools rose from 73.3% to 79.7%, and private unaided coverage increased from 74.3% to 79.2%. A similar gap persists in computer availability. Overall, 69.9% of schools had computers in 2025-26: 66.9% of government schools, 76.6% of aided schools, and 80% of private unaided schools. For computers used for teaching, the shares were lower at 59.4%, 73.7%, and 74%, respectively.
Smart-classroom coverage nationally rose from 24.4% in 2023-24 to 33.9% in 2025-26. Government schools posted an 11-percentage-point gain, compared with increases from 31% to 41% in aided schools and 34.6% to 39.9% in private schools.
Digital libraries remain scarce, available in only 7.1% of schools: 5.7% of government schools, 10.4% of aided schools, and 11.2% of private unaided institutions. The UDISE+ report states that the National Education Policy (NEP) envisions schools equipped with computing devices, internet, libraries, and other infrastructure to create a safe, inclusive, and effective learning environment.
