From Policy to Pixels: ADB Funding Targets India’s Government School Tech Gap

The Asian Development Bank has approved a $10 million financing package for Schoolnet India Limited to expand digital learning infrastructure in government schools across India. The project is expected to benefit around 4.5 million students, highlighting both the promise of technology-enabled education and the persistent gaps in school-level digital access.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $10 million financing package for Schoolnet India Limited to expand digital learning infrastructure in government schools, in a move expected to benefit around 4.5 million students across India. It marks ADB's first private sector financing for a digital education project in India and places the country's uneven school technology infrastructure at the centre of a broader development challenge.

The investment is expected to help expand digital learning infrastructure in government schools and benefit around 4.5 million students across India. It comes at a time when technology-enabled education is increasingly central to policy ambitions, but many classrooms still lack the basic tools needed to make digital learning part of everyday teaching.

India's National Education Policy 2020 promotes technology-enabled learning and stronger educational outcomes. However, the gap between policy ambition and classroom readiness remains wide. Current data shows that only 26% of K–12 schools have computer laboratories, while just 29% are equipped with smart classrooms, which means digital education is still constrained not only by content and connectivity, but also by physical infrastructure, teacher capacity and school-level readiness.

The real test is not devices, but daily classroom use

Under the Schoolnet Digital Learning Project, computer laboratories will be installed in at least 1,000 government schools. The programme will also establish 58,000 digital classrooms and train at least 56,000 educators in digital teaching methods.

In education technology, infrastructure alone rarely delivers lasting impact. Devices, smart boards and digital content matter only if teachers can use them confidently, students can engage with them regularly, and schools can maintain the systems after installation. The emphasis on teacher training is therefore crucial. At least 56,000 educators are expected to receive support in digital teaching methods, while learning materials will be provided to promote safe, inclusive and equitable classroom practices. Teachers remain the link between technology and learning outcomes. Without training, digital classrooms can become underused assets rather than active teaching tools.

For students in government schools, improved access to digital infrastructure could widen exposure to technology-based learning resources. For teachers, it could support more interactive lessons and help integrate digital tools into regular instruction. For schools, it may help bridge long-standing gaps in classroom infrastructure.

Private capital enters a public-school challenge

The financing structure is as important as the project itself. Half of the $10 million package comes from the Leading Asia's Private Infrastructure Fund 2, or LEAP 2, an ADB-managed facility supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. LEAP 2 was launched in 2023 with a $1.5 billion commitment and focuses on private sector infrastructure projects that improve access to essential services, including education, healthcare and communications.

By backing Schoolnet India Limited, ADB is signalling confidence in private sector participation in digital education infrastructure. This approach can help accelerate rollout, bring in specialised delivery capacity and create scalable models for public service sectors that face resource constraints.

In parallel, private sector involvement in government school infrastructure requires careful oversight. Public education systems must ensure that technology projects remain affordable, accountable and aligned with learning needs. Questions around maintenance, data protection, content quality, teacher workload, procurement terms and long-term costs will need close attention.

Schoolnet India will need to deliver infrastructure in settings that may vary widely in administrative capacity, electricity reliability, connectivity and teacher preparedness. Government schools are not uniform environments, and digital education models that work in one setting may require adaptation in another.

The investment also points to a larger trend: development finance institutions are increasingly looking at digital access as part of essential infrastructure. EdTech is no longer framed only as a software or content sector. It is becoming part of the infrastructure conversation, alongside communications, healthcare and public service delivery.

A useful start, but outcomes must prove the model

The project is expected to contribute to narrowing India's digital education divide, particularly by targeting government schools. Students in public schools often face greater barriers to technology access than those in better-resourced institutions. However, the size and diversity of India's school system mean that a $10 million package, while important, cannot by itself close the infrastructure gap.

The next phase will need to show whether this model can deliver beyond installation counts. Key questions include how the 1,000 schools will be chosen, how the 58,000 digital classrooms will be distributed, how teachers will be supported after initial training, and how usage will be monitored over time.

If the Schoolnet project demonstrates effective implementation, it may become a reference point for larger digital education investments. If it struggles with maintenance, adoption or accountability, it could highlight the limits of infrastructure-led education technology projects.

In a nutshell, the ADB-Schoolnet financing package offers a pathway to expand access to technology-enabled learning, but its real value will depend on whether digital tools become part of daily teaching and whether students in government schools see sustained benefits.