Student protests are increasingly taking a different form, with schoolchildren taking to the streets and social media to demand basic facilities such as teachers, usable toilets, playgrounds and safe roads to their schools.
While the demands are often local, data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) shows that many of the problems are widespread across India.
Children march for basic school facilities
In Hamirpur, around 300 children reportedly marched 6 km to the collectorate demanding a usable road to their school. In Lucknow, around 250 girls protested over teacher shortages and basic amenities, while students with disabilities in Jaipur raised concerns over toilets, sanitation and unsafe classrooms.
The protests highlight how seemingly simple infrastructure gaps can directly affect students’ access to education and their daily school experience.
Teacher shortage remains a concern
UDISE+ data records more than 29 lakh students enrolled in 1,00,843 single-teacher schools across the country. At the same time, 20,667 teachers are recorded in 5,663 schools where there are no enrolled students.
The disparities are particularly visible across states. Jharkhand has 36 pupils per teacher, while Karnataka has 8,042 single-teacher schools, accounting for 10.8% of its total schools.
Digital and accessibility gaps persist
India has 14,66,682 schools, of which 10,03,051 are state government-run, according to the data cited.
Only 67.4% of schools have internet connectivity, while 63.1% have functional computers and just 7.1% have digital libraries. Playground availability stands at 81.9%.
For children with special needs, 40.1% of schools have child-friendly toilets, while 79.7% have ramps and 58.2% have ramps with handrails.
States show contrasting gaps
The differences between states are significant. West Bengal has internet connectivity in only 19.7% of schools, while Meghalaya has toilets for children with special needs in just 6.3% of schools.
Kerala has internet connectivity in 92.6% of schools and functional computers in 99.1%, but 68 schools have no enrolled students. Tamil Nadu has internet connectivity in 99% of schools, while digital libraries are available in only 0.8% of state government schools.
Government and private schools differ
Private unaided schools perform better than government schools in internet connectivity and functional computers. Internet is available in 79.2% of private unaided schools compared with 63.1% of government schools, while functional computers are available in 74% and 59.4%, respectively.
However, government schools perform better on accessibility infrastructure. Ramps are available in 88.2% of government schools compared with 60.4% of private schools, while ramps with handrails are available in 66.9% and 36.8%, respectively.
The figures underline the uneven state of school infrastructure and show why students’ demands for basic facilities continue to find resonance across different parts of the country.