Hyderabad: With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing educational institutes across the world to shut down, there has been a big upsurge towards online self-learning platforms.
According to a UNESCO estimate, as many as 1.5 billion students are out of school in over 165 countries due to the ongoing pandemic.
However, in China, where the outbreak of the virus first began, the government is ensuring that students do not miss their education. According to reports, as many as 260 million students in China have enrolled themselves in online self-learning platforms.
But the shift to online methods of education from the conventional, physical methods is not as easy as it sounds.
For starters, online education requires people to have access to quality internet, which is still seen as a luxury in countries across the globe.
Further, in developing countries like India, it can be said that there exists a massive digital divide. While urban areas have better access to the internet, rural areas are far behind.
Read: Amid lockdown, govt's self-learning platform a big hit among students
While urban homes are equipped with high-speed broad band connections, a high percentage of rural populace still depends on cellular data - which is both expensive and can prove to be insufficient, especially when one is on e-learning platforms, which require huge amounts of data.
Yet another hurdle is the lack of desktops. While mobile phones can be more comfortable for personal use because of their portability, while studying, students would prefer desktops with large screens, which again, developing or underdeveloped regions might not have access to.
While the current situation might not go on forever, it is a high possibility that the world moves towards an amalgamated teaching approach - where both the ease of e-learning and the efficiency of physical face-to-face schooling in incorporated.
Hence, it becomes imperative that the world, especially the under-developed and developing regions, take efficient strides towards improving their digital infrastructure in order to bridge the divide.
Read: Educational institutions switch to virtual classes to continue teaching amid shutdown
