"Official education statistics often mask ground realities." Evaluate the reliability of administrative data systems like UDISE and suggest reforms.

The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) is India's school-level database on students, teachers and infrastructure, and it is now accepted as official statistics [2]. It is reliable for counting what exists. It is much less reliable at showing whether facilities work or whether every child can use them.

Where UDISE is reliable

• Universal coverage: it covers almost every school, giving a uniform baseline for planning under the RTE Act [2].
• Planning tool: the Centre sanctions toilets and drinking water based on gaps shown in UDISE and on State proposals [3].
• Shows some gaps when broken down: in West Bengal, UDISE+ data showed that 72% of schools lacked toilets suitable for children with special needs (CwSN) and 15% had no ramps [5].

Where it masks ground realities

• It counts presence, not function: official data show over 95% of government schools with boys' and girls' toilets [1]. A CAG physical check in Arunachal Pradesh found 47 of 54 school toilets defunct [4].
• Weak validation: the CAG found UDISE data inconsistent, incomplete and not validated at the right levels [2].
• Perverse incentive: because funds follow UDISE gaps [3], a school reporting "toilet: yes" gets no repair money, even if the toilet is broken.
• Averages hide exclusion: a high national figure can hide whether children with disabilities can use the facility [5].
• Input-only lens: it records buildings and teachers, not whether children are learning.

Reforms

• Independent validation: someone other than the school should verify the data, as the CAG recommended [2]. Each year, a sample of schools should be physically checked using the joint-inspection method [4].
• Record whether facilities work: add fields for water supply, usability and CwSN access, not just "available: yes/no" [5].
• Fund repairs too: allocate money for broken facilities as well as missing ones [3].
• Community checks: School Management Committees should hold regular public audits of school facilities, with geo-tagged photos.
• Triangulation: read UDISE alongside learning surveys such as the National Achievement Survey (NAS) and PARAKH.

Overall, UDISE is reliable for counting what schools have, but it overstates their real quality. Independent verification, data on whether facilities work, and community audits would make it a true picture of conditions on the ground. That is essential to deliver Article 21A and SDG 4.a's goal of safe, inclusive learning environments.