New Delhi (NVI): A recent online survey has found that above 50% of Indian students, including both in urban and rural areas, don’t have access to the internet for online studies, especially at a time when many institutions are contemplating online teaching in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has affected all the sectors in an unexpected way and Education sector was one of the most affected. It has led to the shut down of schools and universities in India.
The survey conducted by Learning Spiral, one of India’s leading online examination solution providers, found that only 27% of Indian households have access to the internet while only 47% of the households have any access to the internet own a computing device (including a smartphone), as per the survey.
While 51% of rural households in Kerala have access to the internet, only 23% of rural households have access at home, the survey found.
Apart from that, in states like Andhra Pradesh, 30% of rural households have access to the internet but only 2% have access at home. In states like West Bengal and Bihar, only 7-8% of rural households have any access to the internet while only 18% and 21% (respectively) of urban households have any access to the internet.
While 85% of urban household’s children who study in universities have access to the internet, only 41% are likely to have access at home. Only 28% of rural household’s children have internet access to their home.
While 48% of remote university-level students do not have the internet access at home, only 42% of students who reside in rural areas have the home access to the web and 69% of students who reside in urban areas can get online from home, as per the findings.
“The major challenge of remote learning is the disparity in access – from electricity and internet connections to devices like computers or smartphones. Access to electricity is crucial for digital education, both for powering devices as well as for connecting to the internet. Lack of access to the internet and devices has also created a gap in digital literacy,” said Manish Mohta, MD- Learning Spiral.
-ARK
