Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when the government claims that electricity has reached every corner of Madhya Pradesh, as per the education department, 7,000 government schools are still without power supply. The absence of electricity also limits the use of smart classrooms, computers and other digital teaching facilities, while affecting basic amenities such as fans and lighting.
The school education department has separately assigned the three power distribution companies in the state the task of providing electricity connections to around 7,000 schools. However, the work is yet to be completed in a large number of schools.
Power distribution companies tasked with supplying power
The Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company was tasked with providing electricity to around 1,600 schools and has completed work in about 800, while the Paschim Kshetra company was assigned nearly 2,500 schools and has covered around 1,800. In the Poorv Kshetra area, 2,752 schools were surveyed, with work completed in 1,763, according to the companies.
MPEB officials said immediate connections are not possible in some schools due to the absence of buildings, electricity lines or network expansion requirements. Construction has been approved for around 200 building-less primary and secondary schools. The government has also approved 1,816 new buildings for dilapidated schools and 5,450 repair works over two years.
Why electricity is not reaching schools
One reason is that some schools have no buildings and operate from other buildings, under trees or in community halls. In some areas, electricity is there but it is not reaching the school as MPEB requires payment for providing electricity connections, while government departments generally do not make advance payments. According to Damodar Jain, retired Rajya Shiksha Kendra official and present SCERT member, RSK does not make advance payments, while the lengthy process of clearing monthly electricity bills leads to dues accumulating with MPEB.
He said that since the electricity bills of schools are ultimately raised on MPEB, the department is often reluctant to extend electricity connections to schools, as it is left to bear the cost of the electricity consumed. In some schools, fans and lights have been installed but remain non-functional due to the absence of connections. In others, there is no nearby electricity pole or transformer, making connections difficult.
The issue has remained unresolved for years despite being raised with the 'nagar palika', 'nagar nigam' and MPEB. Jain said municipal corporations receive education cess funds that can be used for installing electrical fittings.
UDISE paints different picture
On the contrary, as per the UDISE+ 2025-2026 report, MP has 91,199 government schools. Of these, around 82,000 schools have functional electricity.This means nearly 10,000 schools do not have functional electricity as per the data.
Only a few schools left without power: Goyal
Speaking to Free Press, secretary of School Education Sanjay Goyal said, We are working rapidly to provide electricity to schools, now only few schools are left where electricity has not reached . Regarding the UDISE data Goyal said that the data is from the previous year.
