Panaji: Only 25.2% of govt schools in Goa have functional computer facilities for teaching, far behind aided schools (94.6%) and private schools (92.3%), according to the Union education ministry’s Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2025-26 report released on Tuesday.The report highlights a sharp digital divide in the state’s school education system despite Goa achieving 100% coverage of basic infrastructure such as electricity, drinking water, toilets and handwashing facilities across all schools.Technology integration in govt schools remains weak. Only 19.6% of govt schools have functional desktop computers, compared with 89.4% of aided schools and 79% of private schools. Functional integrated teaching-learning devices are available in just 8.8% of govt schools, against 34.2% of aided and 28.7% of private schools.Projector availability is similarly skewed, with only 15.2% of govt schools equipped with functional projectors, compared with 82.8% of aided schools and 61.5% of private schools.The report also found that only 14.7% of govt schools have functional smart classrooms with digital boards, smart TVs or virtual classroom facilities. The corresponding figures are 54.2% for aided schools and 53.8% for private schools, while the overall state average stands at 33.5%.However, govt schools fare better in information and communication technology (ICT) labs, with 31.8% of upper primary to higher secondary schools having functional ICT labs, marginally higher than the 30.4% recorded for aided schools.Digital libraries remain scarce across all managements. Of Goa’s 1,473 schools, only 42—20 aided, 13 govt and nine private schools—have digital libraries, accounting for just 2.9% of schools, well below the national average of 7.1%.The report covers Goa’s 1,473 schools with a combined enrolment of 2.97 lakh students. While all schools have internet connectivity, the use of digital infrastructure for classroom teaching remains limited, particularly in the govt sector.The findings come even as the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 calls for greater integration of technology through blended learning, digital repositories and virtual classrooms to make education more interactive, inclusive and learner-centred.
