Jaipur, Aug 5 (IANS) Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajasthan State President Madan Rathore on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi-led Central government has been continuously strengthening Rajasthan’s education sector through comprehensive reforms, with digital education emerging as a key driver of transformation.
Quoting information provided by the Ministry of Education in the Rajya Sabha, Rathore said Rajasthan currently has 1,06,445 schools, more than 1.60 crore students and around 7.93 lakh teachers. Of these, 28,452 schools have been equipped with modern facilities such as smart classrooms, digital boards, smart televisions and virtual classrooms, reflecting the effective implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
The information was shared by Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar in the Rajya Sabha in response to a question raised by Rathore. He said that under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, 8,945 ICT laboratories and 7,698 smart classrooms have been established across Rajasthan.
Between 2023 and 2026, the Central Government approved financial assistance of Rs 361.88 crore for strengthening digital education infrastructure in the state. Broadband connectivity is also being extended to government secondary schools in rural areas through the BharatNet project to improve digital access for students.
Rathore said the implementation of NEP 2020 has brought significant improvements in both school and higher education. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in Rajasthan’s higher education institutions increased from 20 per cent in 2014–15 to 29.5 per cent in 2023–24, while the female GER rose from 17.9 per cent to 30.3 per cent during the same period.
He also highlighted a steady decline in school dropout rates. Between 2023–24 and 2025–26, the dropout rate declined from 3.7 per cent to 3.6 per cent at the primary level, from 5.2 per cent to 4.6 per cent at the upper primary level, and from 10.9 per cent to 7.5 per cent at the secondary level.
India currently has 1,289 universities, 48,246 colleges and 15,221 stand-alone institutions. Rajasthan alone has 93 universities, 4,344 colleges and 791 stand-alone institutions, making it one of the leading states in higher education infrastructure.
With approximately 27.37 lakh students enrolled in higher education, Rajasthan ranks among the top seven states in the country in terms of student enrolment.
The state also has the fourth-highest number of colleges among all states and Union Territories. Rathore said the Central Government is implementing a range of scholarship schemes, hostel facilities, and financial assistance programmes for students belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backwards Classes (OBC), and those from rural areas.
He noted that 31 Eklavya Model Residential Schools have been sanctioned in Rajasthan. In addition, 2,242 hostels attached to higher educational institutions provide accommodation for more than 2.79 lakh students.
Rathore said flagship initiatives such as PM e-Vidya, DIKSHA, PM-SHRI, SWAYAM and PM-USHA are helping extend quality, technology-enabled education to every village.
He said these initiatives are laying a strong foundation for the vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) while ensuring that lakhs of students in Rajasthan have access to modern, inclusive and high-quality education.
–IANS
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