Proceedings of The 6th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education
Year: 2023
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/6th.ntteconf.2023.05.101
[PDF]
Bridging the Digital Divide in Online Learning in Maharashtra, India: Learnings from the Pandemic
Sairaj Milind Patki, Leena Deshpande, Vrushali Dehadray, Vaibhavi Moghe, Meghana Desai, Vishal Shinde, Meghana Hegde
ABSTRACT:
Online learning mushroomed by replacing classroom teaching during the pandemic. While private schools in the metros in India shifted to online learning, synchronous learning was not an option for most students in rural areas, where smart devices and stable internet connections are sparsely available. A large-scale survey was thus conducted across stakeholders of government and low-income private primary schools, to understand the status of online learning in the state of Maharashtra, India. Interviews conducted with 1,254 students, 1,260 parents, 409 teachers, and other officials of the education department showed that only 5% of households had a desktop/laptop/tablet. The percentage of households with a television set was much higher (54%), but a smartphone was the most widely available device, with 94% of households owning at least one. Observation of 609 online sessions revealed that 73% of classes were being conducted asynchronously, of which 98% utilized WhatsApp. The platform was also favoured by teachers and officials for sharing learning materials, assigning homework, monitoring the implementation of online learning, and discussing good practices. The study highlights the digital divide in online learning in the state but also throws light on how existing technology was leveraged to ensure that the learning continued. The study has implications for the effective utilization of available infrastructure for online learning in the context of the existing digital divide, even post the pandemic.
keywords: distance learning, pandemic, primary education, technology, WhatsApp