Digital India

The cluster of people walking with netbooks, iPads, and laptops in their hands. Writing notes on WordPad on computers and mugging things online from different websites. Big work problems being solved on video conferences, and students being taught in smart classes. You might not be baffled reading all this today, but had it been some years ago, this definitely would have bothered you. 

This was just a specimen of the present I showed you. There’s still much more to this. Technology has revolutionized the way that students learn and teachers teach. This is true across every grade, school size, and school type — technology has changed the entire system of learning. The debate that is it a good change still rages among teachers, administrators, and parents. Sadly, today we are stuck in such a pandemic, that the answer to this question doesn’t really matter. It’s not what we want, but what we need. The Coronavirus for sure didn’t just affect our lives physically but also in a lot of ways.
The entire country is locked down for almost 3 months now, is facing a lot of adverse conditions. One is the education of the children. Since March 22 schools are shut down, and not to our wonder, they aren’t going to open any sooner. Thanks to the tech classes, teachers are able to reach a number of homes in just one click. I read it somewhere that the reason why online classes were started was that every person today has a smartphone or computer that’s capable of accessing nearly every single bit of information known to humanity!
Well, I think that maybe the one who wrote this didn’t do his homework properly. According to a recent survey, out of 66% of people who live in villages, only 11% have access to the internet. Only 8% of India’s population with young members have computers. 16% of the population receives proper electricity for just one to eight hours. Digital education, undoubtedly, is still a dream for many poor children.
I wonder how teachers and school administrators have been advised to continue communication with students through virtual lectures or portals like Massive Open Online Courses. Most of the poor houses have just one smartphone which is used by the entire family. There are online classes being conducted on apps like Zoom and Live for poor who don’t even properly know how to use WhatsApp. Basically, all the advancements made in this world, are always created considering the capable ones. Not the ones incapable of doing that. Also, the digital divide is just too wide.
There are debates on how the online classes are benefiting the students, and if they are educating the students properly. But no one is actually concerned about the fact, that is the need of digital education actually reaching all sections of the society? Good or bad, should be secondary. But how can you expect the ones who aren’t getting electricity and the internet properly, to get digital education? The coronavirus has surely exposed the ground reality of our society.
The government, though is taking necessary actions to install televisions in schools in remote areas, where many students from poor backgrounds can attend televised classes while abiding by social distancing measures. There are NGOs distributing smartphones in nearby rural areas. There’s also news stating that the classes are soon going to begin on radios as well for the underprivileged ones so that they don’t miss out on the important topics.
Education is the sole right of every child and no one can take it from them, be it the pandemic. If the privileged are getting a proper education, the underprivileged should too. The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the world’s joy. Before the pandemic, I hope the wide digital gap ends soon.

By: Surbhi Singh