Digital divide

Of the 10.2 lakh government schools in India, only 2.47 lakh have Internet facilities. Delhi and Chandigarh are exceptions as all their schools have connectivity. In Punjab, 47 per cent of the schools have Internet access. Haryana fares worse at 29 per cent, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 27.14 per cent and Jammu and Kashmir at 22 per cent. The digital divide is narrowing, but way too slowly. The implications are manifold. The widening of the gap between digital haves and have-nots is adding to the burden of socio-economic inequalities. Technology, the great leveller, is being denied the leverage for transformation it possesses in government schools. In comparison, the private sector has been fast-forwarding the process of exposing students to the new digital learning opportunities.

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. Digital solutions are equal opportunity vehicles. Online learning would have made a difference. The Central and state policymakers owe it to the government school students and faculty to enforce an earnest, collaborative digital push. Along with investing in public-private initiatives, 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. For a country that has been cclaiming to be a pioneer in digital economy to be casual about it in the education sector defies logic.