Parliament Question: Internet connectivity in schools

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-4202 ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026 Internet connectivity in schools 4202 Dr. Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade: Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state: (a) the number and percentage of Government schools across the country that have functional internet connectivity, as per UDISE+ 2023-24; (b) whether Government has any plan to provide internet connectivity to all the schools in the State of Karnataka and if so, the details of schools having functional internet connectivity and computer labs equipped with adequate seating capacity; (c) the steps taken by Government to achieve 100 per cent internet connectivity in all schools in Karnataka; and (d) the details of funds allocated during the last three years to Karnataka for this purpose, year-wise? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a): As per Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), number of government schools having facility of internet are for the year 2023-24 and 2024-25 are 470188(46.2) and 593615 (58.6%) respectively in the country. (b) & (c): Education is part of the Concurrent List of the Constitution and most of the Government schools are under the administration of the State Government and its bodies. The Ministry of Education implements ICT and Digital initiatives under Samagra Shiksha to enhance digital learning in Government schools across the country, including the State of Karnataka. The Government of India in the Budget 2025, has announced provision of broadband connectivity to all Government Secondary schools in rural areas, including schools from Karnataka under the 'BharatNet' project to enhance digital infrastructure in remote areas by BSNL in a phased manner. Further, to provide Fiber to the home (FTTH) internet connections to Government schools having computing devices, DoSEL has advised all States/UTs to enter into MoUs/Agreements with BSNL. The recurring Internet charges may be met from ICT/Smart Classroom funds, Management monitoring Evaluation and Research (MMER) funds approved under Samagra Shiksha or any other State/UT Government funds. As per UDISE+ 2024-25, number of government schools in Karnataka having internet facility are 17702 and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) labs facility in Upper Primary, Secondary and Higher Secondary sections in Karnataka are 3586. (d): The details of funds approved for ICT Labs and Smart Classrooms for the year 2025-26 for the state of Karnataka are 3831.6 lakh and 5126.4 lakh respectively: ******