Digital Awakening in Rural India

Basic education in villages is still a challenge in India, and the Covid-19 pandemic just proved it. Limited infrastructure, teacher shortages, and poor connectivity posed major hurdles in allowing students to continue their education. In many villages today, students walk miles to reach their schools with internet access, and even basic digital tools are a rarity. However, the 70-week lockdown during the pandemic forced a shift unlike any seen before. The usage of smartphones increased from 30% in 2018 to 60% in 2021. Affordable data plans allowed students to learn via WhatsApp groups, YouTube channels, Zoom sessions, and much more.

On one hand, the government launched DIKSHA and SWAYAM Prabha, which offered free learning resources in regional languages. On the other hand, people realised the need for digitalisation in villages as the world moved ahead. Families transformed their homes into makeshift classrooms, while community volunteers gave their best to guide students when teachers couldn’t help. Even the students showed great enthusiasm, as many stories came of children climbing hills to get better network signals.

Dreams that were once nearly impossible to fulfil and education that was once miles away, all now lie in the palm. Digitalisation not only provided basic education but also allowed students to think beyond just primary and secondary schooling, with millions studying for competitive exams. Digitalisation gave villages the belief that their future could extend far beyond their village.

Redefining Access and Aspirations

In Bihar, the Internet Saathi program trained people to use smartphones and access online education. One true story is of Sunita Devi, who first learnt digital skills herself and then began teaching others in her village. She even went on to start her own small business. Similarly, Project Vidya was launched in Talasari, Maharashtra, which allowed tribal students to learn science and math by tuning in to the radios with many students sitting together at one place, forming a classroom-level atmosphere. Besides government initiatives, private platforms like Khan Academy, Physics Wallah, Vedantu, Byju’s, Unacademy, and many more brought top-tier educators to villages and homes that had never even seen a proper school and college. Ravi, a teenager from Andhra Pradesh, taught himself basic programming through these platforms and built a simple robot using scrap materials for his school’s science fair, something his village had never dreamt of seeing. And the journey didn’t end here, as he went on to become a robotics engineer!

There were vocational platforms like Skill Darpan and NSDC, which allowed students to learn coding, agriculture, and digital marketing, without even leaving their homes. For many girls, this digital shift was life-changing, as they became literate and confident, transforming into active dreamers from passive learners. The availability of educational content in regional languages removed the ‘language barrier’ that deprived rural students from being educated. Now they can learn at their own pace, balancing studies with farming and household duties.

Roadblocks on the Digital Highway

Despite milestone changes reaching the villages, rural India continues to face quite some challenges, and the road ahead is still full of hurdles. And the worst thing is that these aren’t just technical issues, but social, cultural, and even personal.

1. Poor infrastructure and connectivity still haunt villages in India. Only 29% of rural schools have internet access, and just 42% have computers, many of which are outdated and non-functional, with regular checks and maintenance never actually happening.
2. The standard of living in villages is low, which does not allow people to afford more than one smartphone per household. Many families even sold their cows, goats, jewellery, and other personal belongings to buy mobile phones so that their children could continue learning during the pandemic.
3. English and Hindi are still the primary languages when studies are concerned. However, socio-cultural restrictions in some villages prevent students from learning the language since it would make their mother tongue lose importance. This creates a disconnect for learners. For eg, in Assam and Jharkhand, students struggled to understand lessons due to the mismatch between the language of study and their home language.
4. Introducing digital education was a necessity during the pandemic. However, teachers, parents, and students struggled to navigate apps, log into platforms, or troubleshoot basic tech issues because of no prior experience using a phone or laptop. In Dhenkanal, Odisha, a study found that both parents and teachers experienced stress and confusion while using online resources.
5. Despite increasing digitalisation and modernity, conservative communities often discourage girls from using smartphones, attending classes, and even getting educated. Screen-based learning is sometimes viewed with suspicion, especially when it involves video calls or mixed-gender interactions. In a real case, a 17-year-old girl tragically took her life after being denied a smartphone for attending online classes.

The Way Ahead

These challenges, while serious, show areas where efforts need to be put in. The villages that once lacked schools now have access to the world’s best quality teachers. The pandemic has sown seeds of a revolution, but sustaining this momentum requires collective efforts. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has further laid emphasis on quality education and advocated for teacher training and infrastructure expansion.

Several policies are in implemented and have laid the future roadmap. For eg, the Digital India mission is working to connect over 2,50,000 gram panchayats with high-speed internet through BharatNet. Organisations like CRY India and Varthana are joining hands with ed-tech platforms to build infrastructure in underdeveloped schools. NGOs and local leaders are also playing vital roles in building trust and encouraging the adoption of digital education, especially among hesitant families.

With every signal that reaches a village, a dream finds its voice, and rural India begins to write its future!

.    .    .