Digital Adoption in Rural India and The Challenges

With more than 600 million internet users, India is one of the largest and fastest-growing markets for digital consumers. This sudden growth of the digital economy was largely led by consumers in the urban region. Despite the growing number of internet users, in rural India, there exists a significant digital divide.

When COVID-19 coursed through the country, the government responded with lockdowns that drove people towards digital marketplaces. This is when the divide was apparent. Globally, digital adoption grew by five years in merely two months in 2020. The situation propelled a rise in telehealth consultations, a shift towards online shopping with e-retail reaching several Indian districts, and education shifting to a virtual model.

A lack of resources
In rural areas, schools struggled to adapt to the digital changes. Many youngsters were unable to attend classes as they did not have adequate financial or technological resources, learning platforms and instructors. Many households could not afford to purchase a smartphone, and even if they could, they could not afford a broadband connection.

While some received necessary help through various organizations that sponsored phones and internet connections, others did not. Either the schools were forced to shut down, or students were forced to drop out of school or college and take up day jobs to sustain their families. Women and girls faced harsher realities including domestic abuse, child marriage, among others. There are abundant barriers ahead in making education a complete digital paradigm in India.

However, the advantages of digital education are manifold. To bridge the prevailing gaps in the education delivery system, BharatCares, a non-profit organisation in India has launched Digital Learning Centres (DLCs).

Digital Learning Centres
Launched in May 2021, under their flagship initiative - Bharat e-Shiksha, the DLCs aim to make quality education accessible to underprivileged students. This is being done through a network of Bharat e-Shiksha Volunteers (BEVs). Teachers and students in remote and rural areas are supported with educational content loaded in smart TVs.

This gives them access to mentored learning as well as digital devices.

The organisation has conducted virtual sessions on topics like menstrual health, the importance of self-esteem, awareness of underage drinking, bullying, mental health, nutrition, career development and so on. The sessions aim to sensitize students from government schools beyond their academics and talk about topics that are taboo in Indian society.

They also encourage STEM-based learning via labs and library models. This will help them in the long run and think about career options of their choice. Through regular activities like book reading the organisation hopes to impart life skills to the students.

The program is currently targeted at government schools with a special focus on students between classes 6 to 10. Students receive six hours of learning every day - three hours through smart devices and the other three through mentored-learning

To ensure more students participate in the program, group sessions are conducted in the DLCs on an offline basis. However, this is not practised across all the locations as it is a great challenge to find volunteers or resource persons on the ground.

Roshini Muthukumar

Roshini Muthukumar, a native of Chennai, started her career as a content writer but made a switch to journalism to pursue her passion. She has experience writing about human interest stories, innovative technology, entrepreneurs, research blogs, and more. Previously, Roshini has done internships with The Hindu, Metroplus and worked as a correspondent with The Better India.