India’s digital education revolution: India’s higher education system is in the midst of a digital transformation. Classrooms are turning virtual, tools are becoming algorithmic, and artificial intelligence is being pressed into service for personalised learning. Ed-tech entrepreneurs and policymakers hail this shift as a democratising force, promising to lift all boats — urban and rural, elite and marginalised. But as 2025 unfolds, the story is more nuanced than this narrative suggests.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 identifies technology as central to reshaping higher education. It champions blended learning, digital universities, and personalised instruction. A Digital University, announced in 2022, seeks to deliver world-class education through a hub-and-spoke model, with core institutions partnering with others to widen reach.
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The numbers look good — on the surface
By all outward measures, digital education is expanding rapidly. The All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22 included online and blended learning in its reporting framework. While the exact share of institutions using these modes isn’t specified, their growing prevalence is evident in the uptake of government-backed platforms.
SWAYAM, for instance, reported over 6 lakh certifications and more than 42 lakh enrolments for the January 2025 semester. NPTEL, which provides engineering and technical content, has crossed 819 million views on YouTube. Even DIKSHA, primarily intended for school education, has seen significant traction.
India’s online higher education market, pegged at ₹16,000 crore in 2020, is projected to nearly triple to ₹46,200 crore ($5.5 billion) by the end of 2025, driven by demand for professional certification and upskilling.
The AI turn in Indian classrooms
Artificial intelligence is gaining currency in higher education. At IIT Madras, AI tools help personalise learning pathways and identify struggling students who need timely support — a strategy that improves retention.
In a more modest but telling experiment, Rishi Bankim Sardar College in the Sundarbans has introduced AI-driven chatbots to support students in the four-year undergraduate programme. These bots help deliver content through Android phones, compensating for a shortage of teachers.
Yet for all the promise, these efforts sit atop fragile foundations.
Digital education and digital divide
India’s digital education architecture risks deepening inequalities. According to UDISE 2023–24, just 32.4% of the country’s 14.7 lakh schools have functional computers, while fewer than one in four have smart classrooms. Many still rely on mobile phones for instruction.
In urban India, students can access virtual labs and digital libraries. But rural and semi-urban students remain hobbled by patchy internet and device shortages. ASER 2024 found that while 82% of rural youth aged 14–16 could use a smartphone, only 57% used it for learning in the week preceding the survey.
The problem goes beyond hardware. The NSO’s 2025 CAMS survey reveals that only 28.5% of youth aged 15–29 possess basic digital skills like online search, email use, or digital transactions. Among rural youth and disadvantaged groups, the number drops to just 22%.
Learning outcomes still in question
Even where access exists, quality remains a concern. Goswami’s 2021 study showed that while only a third of students expressed dissatisfaction with digital education, marginalised groups faced significant barriers. Nearly 80% cited high internet costs; nearly a quarter had to share devices at home, disrupting their studies. Connectivity problems remain a persistent issue.
Mental health is another overlooked casualty. A 2022 study by Tore Bonsaksen linked fully digital education to increased loneliness and anxiety. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education echoed these concerns in 2025, warning that many online courses remain little more than “content dumps” with weak assessment frameworks—raising doubts about their academic value and impact on employability.
Skill gaps and industry disconnect
Despite rapid digitisation, India’s employability crisis persists. The latest PLFS report pegs youth unemployment at 13.1%. The India Skills Report 2025 notes a rise in graduate employability—from 45% in 2021 to 55%—but practical skill gaps remain. Employers complain that online courses often fail to instil real-world problem-solving abilities.
A mismatch is also visible in curriculum design. While industry demand for digital fluency, data analytics, and AI expertise is surging, only 24% of university courses include modules in these areas, according to the FICCI-EY Higher Education Report 2025.
To address this, the UGC is encouraging integration of short-term courses and micro-credentials into degrees. The Skill India Digital Hub has enrolled over 5 million students in industry-linked short courses. However, uptake remains uneven, particularly outside of technical disciplines.
A system of unequal institutions
India’s digital education drive is quietly entrenching a tiered university system. Well-funded private institutions such as Ashoka University and BITS Pilani boast cloud labs, adaptive learning systems, and real-time feedback tools. At the other end of the spectrum, state universities struggle with outdated computer labs, limited faculty training, and unreliable connectivity.
This divergence fuels what education experts call a “digital privilege gap”—where access to quality education increasingly hinges on a student’s geography and socioeconomic status.
Digital tools may improve access, but they also raise troubling questions about surveillance. The V-Dem Institute’s Academic Freedom Index 2025 ranks India 156th of 179 countries, highlighting rising self-censorship and political interference. While the government promotes digital platforms as enablers of openness, critics argue that they can be used to monitor dissent and curtail academic freedom. The contradiction is striking in a country that aspires to be a global education hub.
What must be done
The digital transformation of Indian higher education, while undeniable, cannot be mistaken for a ready-made solution. Technology must supplement—not substitute—good teaching, effective pedagogy, and inclusive systems. To ensure that digital expansion does not deepen existing inequalities, substantial and targeted investment in physical and digital infrastructure is essential. Classrooms across rural and semi-urban campuses must be equipped with high-speed internet and modern teaching tools if equitable access is to become more than an aspiration.
Equally vital is the development of faculty capacity. It is not enough for educators to be conversant with software; they must also learn to design compelling digital curricula that engage students and foster critical thinking. This requires sustained training programmes and institutional support, not one-off interventions.
Metrics, too, need recalibration. The success of digital education cannot be measured by enrolment numbers alone. Institutions must prioritise learning outcomes and track whether students are acquiring knowledge, skills, and intellectual depth. Without this shift, digital education risks becoming an exercise in quantity over quality.
Closing the digital divide demands more than infrastructure. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds need targeted support in the form of scholarships, device provisioning, and digital literacy initiatives. Unless these are institutionalised, the rhetoric of inclusivity will ring hollow.
Academic freedom must not be the casualty of digitisation. Online platforms should create space for dialogue, critical inquiry, and dissent—not suppress them. The government must ensure that surveillance fears do not chill the open exchange of ideas that is the hallmark of quality education.
Crucially, all these reforms require greater public spending. India’s education expenditure remains stuck at 3–4% of GDP, well below the 6% benchmark advocated in multiple policy documents, including the NEP 2020. Without a significant increase in financial commitment, the transformation of Indian higher education will remain more promise than progress.
The tools to revolutionise higher education exist. But their success will depend on whether they are deployed to deepen learning and expand equity—or merely digitise old hierarchies. Technology should empower students to think, question, and contribute—not simply click, consume, and comply.
Dr Lakshay Sharma and Dr Amit Kumar are Assistant Professors of Economics, Christ University, Delhi NCR.