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How corporates can help bridge the digital divide in underserved communities

digital adoption

While the Indian government has launched programs for digital literacy and inclusion, there are many things the private sector can do to promote digital literacy for current and future generations of school children. Here is a practical guide.   

Schoolchildren worldwide have lost 1.8 trillion hours of in-person learning due to COVID-19 lockdowns, according to UNICEF. While the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace at which technology is becoming vital in our lives, and lockdown affected all children, it affected some more than others.

It exposed a stark digital divide leaving a large proportion of India’s population out of this paradigm shift.

According to the ITU World Telecom/ICT database, only 43% of the population in India uses the internet, with only 15% of women on the internet. NSSO data shows that only 4.4% of rural households and 23.4% of urban households own computers, and only 42% of urban households and 14.9% rural households having a computer with an internet connection.

While the Indian government has launched programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) under its Digital India initiative to make at least one individual in each household digitally literate, there are many things the private sector can do.

 

Why is it important to bridge the digital divide?

Digital technologies have opened up a world of new opportunities. Digital literacy has become an important part of education, jobs, and even our social lives. With growing internet and mobile penetration, the potential for wider digital literacy exists, but needs to be realized.

Learning in schools is no longer just limited to textbooks. Students can access information online via audio/visual content, which enhances their learning experiences. To do this they must know how to use the internet, and more importantly have access to digital devices and connectivity. Being digitally literate is an essential skill. The upcoming generations of students will experience better learning as they can more easily access and use various learning tools available on the internet. Additionally, in the event of another COVID-like disruption, many students from digitally underserved communities will not be left with an interrupted education.

 

The role of corporates

Corporates can invest in digital inclusion programs to improve accessibility to infrastructure, which can also be aligned to pre-existing government initiatives/schemes. Companies can extend their resources and aid children from underserved communities by providing devices to access the internet and can set up computer labs in schools to build an enabling environment for them.

While children face issues in accessing education digitally, teachers face issues in delivering education through a digital medium. The shift to online teaching saw teachers struggling to adapt to teaching online. Social programs can be designed where corporates can mobilize resources to upskill educators.

Through their CSR programs, corporates can also look at addressing the gender gap. Gender inequality inevitably places women and girls among the digital have-nots. This impacts girl students’ ability to access online education either because of inadequate access to the internet and digital devices, or because the male child and his studies are prioritized. Gender sensitization programs can be designed and implemented to promote inclusive education.

 

Some ideas in action

Only when students across urban and rural areas, across socio-economic sectors, and across gender, have equal and adequate access to digital devices, internet connectivity, and enabling spaces to learn and grow, will we be able to ensure true digital inclusion.

For example, Wells Fargo’s various education support programs for primary and high schools in India, touched the lives of 60,000 children over 2021-22 and enabled digital literacy, capacity building for teachers, gender equity, etc. To cite a few programs, over 750 digital devices have been provided to schools under a program for first-generation adolescent learners, over 8,000 girl students in government schools are being trained in coding and future technologies over three years, and teachers are being supported to conduct online classes through digital tools and devices. Additionally, stakeholder engagement (parents, school management, community) has also been included, as it strengthens the entire education ecosystem to support the child.

The ideas and possibilities are endless, and every person, group and company can find meaningful ways to support digital literacy in schools based on their interest areas.

 

(The author is Ms. Bandana Jha, Head of Social Impact & Sustainability, Wells Fargo India & Philippines and the views expressed in this article are her own)

 

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