BHOPAL: The central and the state governments might be crying themselves hoarse over their commitment to digitalising the economy but the students of government schools in the state are completely deprived of computer education.
The other BJP-ruled states and neighbouring state are providing much better computer education.
The Annual Status Education Report (ASER) for 2016 states that in the year 2016, only 2.5 percent schools of the state had computers. Middle schools in the state are equipped with computers under the ‘Head Start programme’, which was later re-christened as ‘Smart Class Programme’.
Ironically, in the year 2010, 7.5 percent schools were having computers. But due to improper maintenance, every year the number of working computers kept on falling.
In the year 2012 the figure reached 7.2 and in the year 2014 to 4.2 per cent.
The neighbouring BJP-ruled Rajasthan and Gujarat are far ahead in providing computer education to the school students and even the Bihar is better than MP.
In 2016, in Gujarat, 75.2 percent schools were having computers and more than 31 percent students were using them. Similarly in Rajasthan around 40 percent schools are having computers and 10.5 percent students use them. In Bihar, which is considered an epitome of backwardness, 7.1 percent schools are equipped with computers and 0.8 percent students use them.
In Madhya Pradesh only 0.3 per cent students are using computers.
The top scorer Kerala is having computers in 89 percent schools and almost 70 percent students are using them.
Clearly, making students computer-savvy is not on the priority list of the state government.
