Digital Divide in Education Field of India – A Way to Eliminate

Education became highly technology-driven after this 2019 pandemic. This situation has widened new pathways in various dimensions in the life of every educators and learners. In today’s technology-driven world, teachers may no longer be the sole keepers of knowledge in the classroom else The chalkboard, books, homework, and teacher-classroom culture has shifted, making way for online classrooms and personalized way of learning to include customized learning. The use of simulations, models, graphic calculators, animation, 3D images, and video clips on smart screens bring to life the virtual classroom experience making it much more interactive and exciting. In spite of the government’s push towards a Digital India, there is a wide gap in Internet usage in urban and rural India. While Internet penetration in urban India is about 64.85 per cent, it’s just 20.26 per cent in rural areas.[1]The report done by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on the growth rate of internet and mobile users is critically low. It has been over a year since schools across the country were forced to shut in the wake of the corona virus pandemic. The pandemic has brought to fore the digital divide in the country and made education a privilege only a few can afford. This article is based on the review of available primary and secondary literature and authors have tried to understand the issues related to digital divide, the important role of media teachers to bridging the gap of digital divide among rural college going young students.