With the coronavirus pandemic most businesses and activities have been forced to go digital… including education. However, in a country where 53% of households receive less than 12 hours of power supply in a day, bridging the digital divide is a challenge.
One of the major challenges of implementing remote learning successfully in India is the disparity in access – to power, internet connections, and availability of devices. Access to electricity is crucial for digital education; while the Saubhagya scheme shows that almost 99.9% of homes in India have power supply, dig a little deeper and you will realize that this supply is less than satisfactory. Mission Antyodaya, a nationwide survey of villages by Ministry of Rural Development in 2017-18 showed that 16% of Indian homes received one to eight hours of electricity in a day, 33% received 9 to 12 hours, and only 47% received electricity for more than 12 hours a day.
