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Education in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: disparities in the access to digital education in India
Topics: Development
, Economic Geography
, Digital Geographies
Keywords: Digital-divide, Disparities, Education, India, Pandemic Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract Day: Friday Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 03:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 05:00 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) Room: Virtual 63
Authors:
Sujayita Bhattacharjee, University of Mumbai
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Abstract
Education in India took a sudden leap from physical space to digital space with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although digital education has been gaining significance in recent times, under normal situations, its widespread adoption in India would have happened gradually, with the growth of digital infrastructure in the country. Due to the pandemic, however, digital education came to be adopted suddenly in a full-fledged manner in India, way ahead of time. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to explore the status of access to digital education in India so that the existing disparities can be identified. The importance of the study lies in the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. Also, there is no reason to think that there won’t be any pandemics/epidemics in the future. Thus, while we focus on getting back to normal, we must also embrace the ‘new normal’ to be prepared for the future. Digital education is a significant component of the ‘new normal’. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to understand and address the disparities that are existent in terms of access to digital education in India.
Education in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: disparities in the access to digital education in India