Online Education in India and the Widening Digital Divide

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several sectors across the globe have witnessed widespread disruption, impacting almost every sector of the economy. The education sector is no exception to this; schools across the globe have been shut, and over 1.2 billion children are out of classrooms. Owing to this situation, India's schools have adopted online teaching-learning for children, like many other countries. According to the 75th NSS data of household consumption on India's education, only 10.7% of the total population have computers and other gadgets, and 23.8% have access internet. Based on the data, the feasibility of adopting a complete online education model in a country like India remains uncertain and remote. This chapter aims to study the intricacies of India's digital divide and further suggests inclusive alternative measures to overcome the same.