Editorial: Bridge the digital divide

The project to extend broadband services across 1.4 lakh panchayats needs a renewed commitment

Hyderabad: While technology is a great leveller, particularly in a diverse country like India, the issue of access becomes crucial in fully harnessing the transformational benefits of new technologies. The widening gap between digital haves and have-nots is adding to the burden of socioeconomic inequalities in the country. Government schools are lagging behind their counterparts in the private sector in terms of reliable internet connectivity. Private schools have been fast-forwarding the process of exposing students to new digital learning opportunities. Of the 10.2 lakh government schools in India, only 2.47 lakh have Internet facilities. The pandemic brought to the fore both the potential of digital learning solutions and the lasting ramifications of the digital divide. On one end of the spectrum are edtech ventures, smart classrooms, robotics and artificial intelligence. On the other are schools where teacher shortage is a perennial problem, where there are no computers, a smartphone is a shared family gadget and the low internet speed a disrupter rather than an enabler. There is a need for the Centre and the States to give an aggressive push for digital learning. For that, they need to invest in expanding the infrastructure and connectivity. As part of this, the project to extend broadband services across 1.4 lakh panchayats needs a renewed commitment. Access to information and communication technologies can impact all imaginable aspects of life. The lack of digital infrastructure can deprive individuals of essential resources. Digital divide poses a major challenge in remote learning and teaching. During the pandemic, educational institutions moved to online learning as regular learning was suspended. Technology played a critical role in making online learning interactive and smooth.

However, there were still many challenges that created setbacks in the learning process. A study by the Azim Premji Foundation showed that 60% of school children could not find access to online learning. Another study by Oxam India reported that there were issues of internet signal and speed. There were also setbacks with the costs of mobile data, which became difficult for many to subscribe to. Only 20% of school-age children had access to remote education during the pandemic. According to a survey, only about 8% of the children in rural areas were able to study online regularly during the pandemic. One of the key reasons for this is that many households have no access to smartphones. Even among households with a smartphone, the proportion of children who are studying online regularly was just 31% in urban areas and 15% in rural areas. Many children were forced to drop out of schools. Digital schooling was the only logical way forward to continue learning for children during the pandemic. But now, there is a need to focus on building a more resilient system for the future, regardless of whether conventional schooling or digital is the primary way forward.

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