Tamil Nadu Leads South India in Digital School Infrastructure Expansion

Under the centrally funded Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, Tamil Nadu has emerged as the top beneficiary among southern Indian states for digital learning infrastructure. Between the 2021‑22 and 2025‑26 academic years the state secured approval for 9,432 ICT labs, more than four times the number approved for Telangana, and alone received approval for 2,166 labs for 2025‑26. Since the scheme began in 2024‑25, Tamil Nadu also obtained approval for 8,967 smart classrooms, roughly double the allocations to Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Financially the state was granted the largest budget allocation, with 167 crore INR approved for FY 2025‑26 and a cumulative allocation of 655.25 crore INR for the 2021‑22 to 2025‑26 period. However, officials say central disbursements have been delayed, citing the state's alleged non‑implementation of the National Education Policy. As a result, Tamil Nadu has been covering maintenance costs and lab‑instructor salaries from its own budget. Project director M. Rathi stated, "The state is funding the programme from its own budget because central assistance has not arrived for three years."

The delay has created a financial burden for the state even as it pushes forward with the expansion of technology‑based education in government schools.