Can India bridge digital education divide to prepare its youth for tech-oriented workforce?
Stark gaps in tech access in schools and lack of digital proficiency will leave millions of students unprepared for future workforce, analysts warn
India’s push for more tech-oriented teaching is hindered by a stark digital divide, analysts say, with only a fraction of the country’s schools equipped with functional computers, leaving millions of students at risk as the global workforce embraces emerging technologies.
Only 32.4 per cent of India’s 1.47 million schools have access to functional computers and 24.4 per cent have smart classrooms to aid teaching new-age skills, according to the government’s recent Unified District Information System for Education report for 2023-24.
The annual report from India’s Ministry of Education is based on data compiled from across the country and provides insights into the state of school education. The data also highlighted a glaring gap between government-run and private schools.
According to the survey, about 60 per cent of private schools are equipped with desktop computers, 40.8 per cent with laptops or notebooks and 34.6 per cent with smart classrooms, whereas only 21.4 per cent of government schools have desktops, 22.2 per cent tablets and 21.2 per cent smart classrooms.
Experts say such inequality threatens to deprive young Indians of crucial foundational skills, particularly as AI and other emerging technologies reshape global workforces.
