Page 66 - EducationWorld Oct 2021

Special Report

“The state government has not only India’s digital divide
failed to provide government schools
computer-aided teaching during the ccording to the National Sample
pandemic, it has also financially bank- ASurvey 2017-18 of the Union
rupted the city’s budget private schools ministry of statistics and programme
by passing arbitrary fees reduction or- implementation, only 24 percent of
ders. Such unnecessary interference in Indian households have Internet con-
private education has harmed all stake- nectivity and a mere 8 percent of
holders — private schools, teachers, households with children and youth
parents and students — and widened (5-24 years) own a computer with In-
the digital divide between the city’s elite ternet connectivity.
and poor households,” says Afshad A September 2020 study by Ox-
Ahmed (quoted earlier), president, fam in five Indian states (Odisha, Bihar,
Private Schools and Children Welfare Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttar
Association, Karnataka. Pradesh) reported that 53 percent of
W ITH THE CRUSHING Fazal: public utility status call net connectivity/speed problems. Of
parents experienced persistent Inter-
them, 32 percent said the Internet data
pandemic lockdown
having devastated
Simultaneously, there’s growing
cent reported inaccessibility to digital
early years and prima- awareness within right-thinking citi- packages are unaffordable, 22 per-
ry education in particular with 70-80 zens of the garden city that the ball is devices, and 18 percent were bereft
percent of primary children reported not entirely in the government’s court. of Internet connectivity. “Despite the
to have forgotten what they had learned Unlike Silicon Valley billionaires who sample consisting of parents belong-
in previous years, informed education have established huge philanthropic ing predominantly to urban areas and
professionals believe that the Cen- foundations, Bengaluru’s IT tycoons, being digitally literate, 82 percent still
tre and states have no option but to who are dependent on high quality faced challenges in supporting their
sharply increase expenditure on pub- human resources, have done little to children to access digital education,”
lic education to equip government and develop a talent pool. “It’s unfortu- says the Oxfam study.
low-end private schools with the digital nate that they haven’t done much for
resources required for online/hybrid the city that has given them so much.
learning. Simultaneously, the govern- There is not even one public library or tal education emergency prompted by
ment needs to co-opt IT industry lead- a free-of-charge high-quality school the Covid-19 pandemic. The IT indus-
ers to digitalise school education. endowed by an IT billionaire in the city. try stands to benefit the most from
“Even though Bengaluru has ample Instead they are busy buying million an excellent education system which
financial and human resources and dollar homes. Moreover, the IT indus- provides high-quality graduates,” says
knowhow to equip all government and try has not engaged sufficiently with a Bengaluru-based educationist who
BPS with new technologies, there’s the city’s school and higher education preferred to remain anonymous.
no political will. The state govern- systems. Therefore, I am not surprised Unfortunately, such advice tends to
ment needs to urgently prepare a plan that so few IT leaders came forward fall on unheeding ears. With the state’s
to maintain learning continuity of to address the digital education divide politicians preoccupied with prepar-
children in three different scenarios precipitated by the pandemic. My ad- ing for the legislative assembly election
— lockdown, hybrid and on-campus vice to IT industry leaders is to wake scheduled for early 2023, and the city’s
learning. For this to happen, ensuring up from their slumber and engage IT and business leaders cut-off from
universal access to digital devices, In- with government, schools, education the citizenry behind the high walls of
ternet and digital learning platforms is NGOs and activists to address the digi- their gated communities, the digital
necessary. To transform into a knowl- divide is set to become wider. After
edge city, India’s IT capital should take Unlike Silicon Valley much procrastination the BJP/NDA
the lead and declare digital learning government has permitted schools to
platforms a public utility like electric- billionaires, Bengaluru’s IT restart on-campus in-person education
ity and water supply,” says Nooraine tycoons, who are dependent for classes VI-XII. But for children in
Fazal, co-founder and managing preschool and primary education in the
trustee of the top-ranked Inventure on high quality human country’s IT capital the bleak future has
Academy, Bangalore (estb.2005) and resources, have done little to become bleaker.
a member of the Bangalore Political develop a talent pool
Action Committee (BPAC). Additional inputs Summiya Yasmeen

66 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2021