SRINAGAR: Only 3,066 of the 24,228 operational schools in Jammu and Kashmir had smart classrooms in 2025-26, while 6,203 had computer facilities and 8,550 had internet connectivity, according to data presented by the Union Ministry of Education in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
The figures, based on UDISE+ data, highlight the continuing digital infrastructure gap across schools in the Union Territory, particularly between urban and rural areas.
Of the 3,066 schools with smart classrooms, 361 were in urban areas and 2,422 in rural areas. Computer facilities were available in 644 urban and 5,559 rural schools, while internet connectivity was reported in 577 urban and 7,973 rural schools.
The data was provided by Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2414 on digital education in schools.
In Ladakh, out of 883 operational schools, 356 had smart classrooms, 478 had computer facilities and 395 had internet connectivity. The region had 20 urban and 336 rural schools with smart classrooms, while computer facilities were available in 28 urban and 450 rural schools. Internet connectivity was available in 22 urban and 373 rural schools.
The Ministry said the Government promotes digital education through various initiatives under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, aligned with the objectives of the National Education Policy, 2020.
Since 2018-19, the Centre has approved Rs 11,972.4 crore under Samagra Shiksha for ICT Labs, Smart Classrooms and digital education initiatives. Expenditure, including spillover progress, stood at Rs 7,805.6 crore during the period.
The annual approved allocation rose from Rs 381.1 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 3,221.1 crore in 2025-26, while expenditure increased from Rs 333.7 crore to Rs 2,714.1 crore over the same period.
The Ministry said financial assistance is provided to States and Union Territories for ICT infrastructure based on their Annual Work Plan and Budget approved by the Project Approval Board.
In JK, 97,141 teachers were trained in digital pedagogy, digital teaching methodology and the use of technology in 2020-21, followed by 84,882 in 2021-22. The number fell sharply to 1,483 in 2022-23 and 401 in 2023-24, before increasing to 6,443 in 2024-25 and 7,890 in 2025-26.
Across India, 92,0153 teachers underwent such training in 2025-26, taking the total number trained during the six-year period covered by the data to over 63 lakh.
To bridge the digital divide, the Ministry said ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms are being supported in Government and Government-aided schools, including those in rural and remote areas, according to requirements submitted by States and UTs.
The Government said the PM e-Vidya initiative, launched on May 17, 2020, brings together digital, online and on-air education to provide multi-mode access to learning. The initiative includes 200 DTH television channels and 400 radio channels to provide supplementary education in various Indian languages for Classes 1 to 12.
The Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing (DIKSHA) platform provides digital content for school education along with QR-coded Energised Textbooks and supports both online and offline access, allowing students to download learning material for use without internet connectivity.
The Ministry also said the Union Budget 2025 announced broadband connectivity for all Government secondary schools in rural areas under the BharatNet project, to be rolled out in phases by BSNL.
The impact of digital education is being assessed through the PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan 2024, conducted by the National Assessment Centre-PARAKH under NCERT. More than 21.15 lakh students and 2.70 lakh teachers and school leaders from over 74,000 schools across 781 districts participated in the assessment.
The survey also collected information on contextual factors, including students’ access to digital devices and internet connectivity at home and school, with national, State and district-level findings made available through the PARAKH dashboard.
