{"id":4363,"date":"2021-05-05T16:00:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T12:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sustainablesquare.com\/?p=4363"},"modified":"2022-08-18T05:48:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T05:48:07","slug":"digital-divide-are-we-ready-for-a-digital-transformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablesquare.com\/wp.old\/digital-divide-are-we-ready-for-a-digital-transformation\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Divide – Are we Ready for a Digital Transformation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Digital divide – Are we Ready for a Digital Transformation<\/b><\/p>\n

Covid shocked the world. Never before did all the spheres of people\u2019s lives change in such a quick span of time<\/span>. Our rooms became our offices and classrooms, and our lives became even more dependent on technology. While those privileged shifted to the new norm without much struggle, those with<\/span> less means were left on the opposite side of a digital divide<\/span>. Education is the only redistributable resource in a country like India, and yet it became inaccessible for a large percentage of the population overnight. Students could not continue learning as they did not have access to a computer, mobile phone, or internet access. <\/span><\/p>\n

This blog is an attempt to see how great the extent of digital divide is among the school going children. It also presents a view of how the divide could be different based on caste, class, region, religion etc. The blog also put forth a few ideas by which the government can bridge the gap between the privileged and underprivileged.<\/span><\/p>\n

Smart Class<\/b><\/p>\n

On a fine morning in the year 2009, I was surprised to see pieces of equipment that I had only seen once or twice before in my life,  being installed in my classroom. They called it a \u2018smart classroom\u2019 and we were told that we would be having one \u2018smart class\u2019 a week for all the subjects. Until then digital learning had never been heard of. We thought learning was only to be acquired through cheerful or grumpy teachers at school and that video or audio content was solely  for entertainment purposes. But there we were, all set to learn from a set of machines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2021, smart classrooms are a common sight in private schools while it still is a luxury for the public schools in India. It is widely used to retain and attract students, to get certifications and is a noteworthy status symbol amongst the young learners of the day. Smart classrooms are crucial in student learning outcomes with access to a plethora of resources available online, increasing participative learning and helping the teachers to simplify the pedagogy. The current rate at which the world is turning digital, smart classrooms and advanced infrastructure play a huge role in a learner\u2019s life. <\/span><\/p>\n

But the question worth asking is: \u2018Is the whole <\/span>world turning digital, or is it a mere facade?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

Digital Divide: A roadblock to  India\u2019s Development<\/b><\/p>\n

  In this context, the following are statistics by various organisations <\/span>which<\/span> are <\/span>lamentable,<\/span> yet not surprising:<\/span><\/p>\n