Govt approves 1.46 lakh smart classrooms across India under ‘Samagra Shiksha’
A total of 146,040 smart classrooms have been approved across India under the centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha scheme, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.
In response to a query on digital learning infrastructure in rural areas, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that the initiative covers all states and union territories, with thousands of smart classrooms already established.
According to the data, Maharashtra has 5,155 smart classrooms, Madhya Pradesh has 9,531, and the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has 192.
In terms of financial support, the minister stated that each school is eligible for a non-recurring grant of Rs 2.40 lakh for setting up two smart classrooms, along with a recurring grant of Rs 38,000 to cover costs such as e-content, digital resources, and electricity charges.
The details were shared in response to questions raised by Shiv Sena MP Sandipanrao Bhumre and BJP MP Kalaben Delkar.
Pradhan emphasised that Samagra Shiksha, launched in 2018-19, is an integrated scheme aimed at providing holistic support from preschool to Grade 12. “It is an overarching programme running across the country, including rural areas, with a vision to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, as envisaged in the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020,” he said.
Further, under the BharatNet project, the government has committed to providing broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools in rural areas, as announced in the Union Budget 2025. This is intended to bolster digital infrastructure and bridge the learning divide in remote regions.
The ministry has also advised state and union territory governments to assess local needs and implement digital access solutions accordingly, ensuring both students and teachers can effectively engage in digital education.
Highlighting the digital push under NEP 2020, the education minister noted that the policy encourages investments in online teaching platforms, virtual labs, digital content repositories, online assessments, and training in technology-integrated pedagogy. Funding for digital literacy programmes and infrastructure has been provided to all states and UTs under Samagra Shiksha to support these objectives.
(DD News)
