There is No App for That: Manifestations of the Digital Divides During COVID-19 School Closures in India

Abstract

The COVID-19 induced lockdowns forced people to shift several activities, including education, online. However, in the context of online schooling, the Digital Divides have magnified and perpetuated existing inequities in the education system and in society. Through a qualitative study with 48 participants across four stakeholder groups we find that students in under-funded government schools in India largely have not been able to access online classes because of a lack of devices, poor quality of Internet access, unreliable data networks and expensive data plans. We also document attempts by teachers and non-profit workers to use mass media broadcast technologies to work around the issue of digital access, highlighting the importance of a human infrastructure to build resilience during a disruptive event. Socioeconomic factors have also forced several students to drop out of schools and into taking up jobs to support their families. We document the importance of enabling environments and economic safety nets at home for online education to succeed. We present some focus points for researchers and policy makers working in the space of digital divide and education to build more resilient systems through Digital Welfarism.