The digital divide is definitely not something new. Within the field of communication for development it has been a broadly discussed topic. Although more and more people are connected some way, there are still numerous left behind. Those people at the margins are often the most vulnerable in society. The current COVID-19 pandemic has showed that the digital divide is even further increasing. The growth in the use of ICT within education has led this digital divide to create an educational divide as well. This rapid shift to ICT’s in the field of education has left many children behind or with bad quality education. This will have enormous consequences in the long term.
Earlier I wrote a post about Mexico and its approach to distance learning here. They have provided a good solution in offering education to those who are less connected. However, even when including different types of media, this does not signify inclusion for all. This digital divide is then being based on socio-economic means, with those that are less fortunate being less connected than others. Although we are still in the midst of the pandemic, some of the long-term consequences of this crisis are beginning to unfold. It has even come so far that “the digital divide between rich and poor threatens to become an educational divide” (Paul Blake, The Development podcast).
An earlier interview published by the world bank also shows this digital divide with a great example. They discuss how education has changed the lives of two woman in Colombia during the pandemic. Both women know each other, yet have different experiences with their children’s education during the pandemic. Elena her children go to a public school and they rely on copy centers to print homework that was earlier send to their mother’s social media or WhatsApp. Although Carolina is a good friend of hers, her children attend private school and use video software to follow classes online. Connectivity and the quality of the internet connection in this case determines the quality of the education the children receive. But it goes further than that. The living conditions also have an influence on the educational process when studying from home. Children with more than one sibling, who have to share a bedroom or electronic device, might not have the same privacy as other students. Equally, some parents engage more with their children and help them study. Others often do not have the time, energy or knowledge to do so.
As a possible solution, Jaime Saavedra (the World Bank’s Global Director for Education) mentions a multi-platform approach to remote learning. He says: “So, we knew that there was a digital divide. Now that digital divide is creating a potentially extreme impact on inequality of opportunities. So that’s why many countries, what they are thinking is a multi-platform approach to remote learning. We need to be very creative, use all possible means, but with that idea that we need to reach everyone”. The goal is to reach as many students as possible by using different types of media. Although this is easier said than done. Being able to merely reach the students is not the main objective. It is also important to keep them engaged and motivated to be actively learning and growing. Since this entire situation might also cause a huge economic crisis, setting back even more students and forcing them to leave school early or not continue into higher education at all. Being unconnected definitely means that there are less opportunities available and more than ever connectivity is linked to education.
This rapid shift to online learning has shown that it definitely provides possibilities and that ICT’s can offer a great alternative to face-to-face learning. However, issues such as connectivity and the digital divide between rich and poor means that many are still left behind and that even the availability of ICT’s for education does not necessarily mean good quality education.
What do you think about the digital divide and how it has influenced the field of education during the last couple of months? Any thoughts?