Karnataka Smart Classrooms Decline to 25.9 Percent as National Average Doubles

The proportion of schools equipped with functional smart classrooms in Karnataka has declined from 38.5% in 2021-22 to 25.9% in 2024-25, according to a recent NITI Aayog report. This drop comes despite a national surge where the average doubled. Local stakeholders, including members of the Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor education team in Bengaluru, have raised concerns over the findings, pointing to persistent infrastructure challenges, patchy internet, and a severe lack of trained teachers to operate the digital facilities.

The findings were detailed in the NITI Aayog report titled "School Education System in India: Temporal Analysis and Policy Roadmap for Quality Enhancement," which cited the latest UDISE+ 2024-25 data. While Karnataka's numbers dwindled, the national average for functional smart classrooms rose significantly from 14.9% to 30.6% during the same four-year period.

Smart classrooms are designed to be digitally enabled learning spaces that integrate tools such as projectors, interactive whiteboards, audio-visual content, and e-resources to support teachers in delivering competency-based instruction.

However, the report highlights massive interstate disparities. While Chandigarh led the country with 95.2% of its schools equipped with smart classrooms, nearly three-fourths of schools in Karnataka currently lack these functional setups.

Education experts in the state have pointed out that simply installing digital equipment is not enough to improve learning outcomes. Dr. Amith K Jain, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, noted that smart classrooms require sustained investments in capacity building and infrastructure to move students from passive learners to active participants.

"Equally important is the need for continuous teacher training to ensure that technology is integrated meaningfully into classroom instruction," Jain said, adding that many schools, especially in rural areas, continue to face limitations with reliable electricity, internet connectivity, and the ongoing costs of equipment maintenance.

A member of the Community Services-Education Team of Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor echoed these concerns, stating that many installed smart classrooms have devolved into platforms for passive content consumption. Students often access pre-loaded content with limited interactive teacher engagement.

"While infrastructure may be available, many teachers require continuous training and support to use digital tools meaningfully," the Rotary team member said. They also highlighted that frequent power outages, a lack of backup systems, and delayed technical support when equipment faults occur further disrupt classroom usage.

To reverse this decline, experts are urging the government to adopt a holistic approach that focuses on regular maintenance, power backups, reliable internet, and robust teacher training, rather than treating smart classrooms as mere digital installations.