Education and Bridging the Digital Divide

“Education promotes equality and lifts people out of poverty. It teaches children how to become good citizens. Education is not just for a privileged few, it is for everyone. It is a fundamental human right.”

- Ban Ki-moon

People from all areas of life are affected by the ‘digital divide’. A complex issue for more than two decades, and forms the basis of concerns, discussion and debate regarding equality and exclusion in education. Despite many differing factors, it is often defined by two primary characteristics: access to high-speed internet and affordability to suitable technology. Many people who are affected by the digital divide have to deal with both.

For those who can be barely provided for, the internet connectivity is either restricted, unavailable, or costly in some locations. Even with a solid internet connection, access to some digital areas may be difficult, with expensive hardware like laptops, tablets that can measure up to the demands of online platforms and software designed for high levels of CPU consumption, such as video conferencing and streaming services. As a result, such hardware is out of reach for people who can't afford them.

The ‘digital gap' is most visible in K-12 education, particularly in emerging nations where infrastructure and connectivity are still scarce resources – and the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed these educational sector vulnerabilities even further.

In 2020, decades of modest but steady progress in teaching more youngsters around the world came to an abrupt end. According to UNESCO, an unprecedented 1.4 billion pupils were held back from attending their pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools in more than 190 countries during the period of March and April, in an effort to halt the spread of the Coronavirus.

Based on data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union, almost half of the world’s students face significant barriers to distant or online learning. Globally, some 826 million – 50 per cent – do not have access to a household computer, while 43 per cent – about 706 million – do not have access to internet at home. In low-income countries, rates of access are even lower.

Mobile phones have demonstrated great potential for connecting learners with information and one another, but about 56 million learners worldwide live in remote locations not served by mobile networks. In addition to the factors of responsive design, user interfaces and experiences, the limitations of mobile devices in comparison to high-end tablets and laptops is evident, in the constraints of e-learning resources, textbooks and interactive software or online / cloud based services where a desktop experience is more suitable and comfortable for the student.

When it comes to students with computers, tablets, and high-speed internet vs others without even basic Internet access, the Coronavirus has highlighted even more so the homework or study at home gap, and the imbalance between the haves and have-nots. However, the fading danger of the pandemic serves as a clear reminder that this ‘Digital Divide’ is still an ongoing concern and will continue to be so even as things return to normal, unless urgent action is implemented on a global scale.

To digress the ‘homework gap’ or study at home is a term that's been used to describe the millions of children in grades K-12 for whom access to broadband services at home or access to suitable devices are unavailable, leaving them unable to access homework and other educational resources.

Whilst some schools in some countries, have since reopened, or reopened for certain pupils; in some cases, to address the issues of the above, for others there has been no restoration to in-person schooling.

And while some families have benefited from online schooling, there are still drawbacks that leave other families, particularly those in underprivileged areas, behind. Throughout the pandemic, equity and access to technology have worsened the academic gap for many low-income pupils.

Even for those who have returned to their classrooms, or who will return, the research suggests that they will continue to suffer the detrimental effects of lost learning, and the inadequacies of digital integration for years to come.

The impact on many children's schooling is compounded by pre-existing issues: according to UN data, one out of every five children was out of school even before Covid-19 spread across the world. Even before the pandemic, school closures as a result tended to disproportionately damage children who already faced discrimination and exclusion from education.

“It’s no longer a luxury. This is serious. It’s really a social justice issue. It’s a 21st century civil rights issue.”

– Cheptoo Kositany-Buckner

Teachers and parents across the board are concerned about the loss of learning that will be difficult to compensate even if schools swiftly return to previous levels of performance, as well as health difficulties, as education leaders struggle to keep the learning process going. As the societal relevance of schools and colleges has been recognized by all, including health specialists' associations, new regulations are swiftly being enacted to replace the teaching and learning process in classrooms.

Governments have had years of strong research indicating which categories of children were most likely to suffer educationally during school closures, but these children faced some of the most significant impediments to continuing their studies. Reopening schools alone will not reverse the damage, nor will it guarantee that all students will return to school.

Human Rights Groups discovered that schools were unprepared to provide remote education to all pupils equally during the pandemic. This was owing to governments' long-term inability to address prejudice and inequities in their educational systems, adequate budgeting in the education sector as well as to provide fundamental government services like affordable, reliable energy in households and affordable reliable internet access and services.

For all the ways the Internet has been a lifeline amid the pandemic, the sad reality is that less than half of the world’s population had access to this lifeline in 2020.

Because they cannot afford internet access or suitable devices, children from low-income families are more likely to be excluded from online learning. Historically under-resourced schools with students who already had significant learning challenges had a harder time reaching out to them across digital barriers. Digital literacy training for students and teachers is frequently lacking in educational systems, making it difficult for them to use new tools safely and confidently.

But that’s not the worst of it. School systems run on money. It’s impossible to provide access to schooling without financial resources, and despite occasional claims to the contrary, the best evidence suggests that the quality of education is also responsive to financial resources.

Public sector resources globally has been affected by the COVID-19 economic shock.

Before the outbreak of COVID-19, global growth was projected to be 3.3 percent. Earlier this month, the IMF (International Monetary Fund) updated its projections to -3.0 percent. Pay close attention to the negative sign.) To put that into perspective, the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 resulted in GDP growth of -0.1 percent. The significance of this is huge.

Education should be at the heart of all governments' rehabilitation strategies. Governments should address both the pandemic's influence on children's schooling and the underlying issues. In view of the pandemic's severe financial strains on national economies, governments should prioritize and protect financing for public education.

It is critical that all learners have access to a curriculum following the principles of Universal Design for Learning, with reasonable accommodations and differentiation both now and after returning to school.

But more importantly Governments must quickly return to their 2015 pledges under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure that all children get an inclusive, high-quality primary and secondary education by 2030.

Even under optimistic growth projections and scenarios developing countries’ governments managed to significantly increase spending efficiency, and invest the maximum amount of domestic resources possible, in line with top performers. But the Education Commission's pre-COVID estimates showed that they would still be unable to fully finance their education systems to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Lower future domestic revenue sources, the expense of the crisis and recovery, and slashed education budgets would undoubtedly aggravate the financing gap in the aftermath of the worldwide pandemic.

In the midst of this crisis, governments will have to make difficult decisions and adapt their expenditures. When faced with pressing short-term requirements, it will be tempting to let education expenditures stagnate, despite the fact that it is a long-term investment in human capital. Governments may be forced to make trade-offs across sectors and within the education sector, and they may be forced to choose between some of their most ambitious education projects, such as providing free universal secondary and higher education and increasing pre-school facilities.

Education donors and governments may maintain the value of education at the forefront of policy discussions and debate to ensure that critical investments in the education sector do not dilute or evaporate. The methods for doing so will vary by country, but they will almost certainly include a combination of cutting domestic spending and mobilizing additional international funding for education—or fighting the seemingly impossible battle of increasing domestic tax collection in the midst of an economic downturn and or recession.

So, what about now… What can we do so that schools and colleges are not left to pick up the pieces and implement changes alone?

As the global pandemic has thrown the digital divide into the spotlight, many educational leaders have made headway in bridging the digital divide in education. From providing internet to students with the most need, to ensuring every student has their own computer or tablets, leaders are beginning to increase equity among districts and regions of countries and students.

To further help, Education Trusts and Independent Organizations have recommended educational leaders and policy makers do the following:

• Survey the needs of families most impacted by the digital divide.

• Create conversations with leaders about how to fund additional resources.

• Connect with potential donors and technology companies about digital resource partnerships.

• Look at the school and evaluate the present digital divide, then allocate resources to bridge the gap.

• Provide training and information technology support to educators and parents in the most impacted districts.

• Require local education agencies (LEAs) outline and publicly share their plan for distance learning on an accessible, multi-lingual platform that articulates where families can go for support and how services and learning will be targeted to the most vulnerable students.

• Create a plan with education agencies on how to bridge the gap long term.

By following these steps, leaders can help increase student academic outcomes and lessen the digital divide for future generations of students.

But there are immediate or additional steps that can take place, and certainly ones that can be implemented in readiness for what could be another difficult if not a random and chaotic academic year for 2021-2022.

The most straightforward solution is to bridge the gap to minimize the necessity for home Internet access. This can be accomplished by using 1:1 devices that store programs on an internal hard drive (such as laptop computers) or in flash memory (like iPads or other tablets).

When choosing instructional materials, governments, education departments, curriculum providers when readdressing the curriculum for the next academic year, should ensure that all resources can be downloaded to and saved on devices so that students may access them even when they are not connected to the Internet. E-books and e-textbooks, for example, are available in both downloaded and web-view-only formats. Teachers should be allowed to save digital educational materials on the device's internal storage if they produce or offer access to them. Typically, Word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation packages from Microsoft 365 and Google Apps are available in both offline and online editions.

Students (and teachers) may need to be trained how to activate offline versions that can be synchronized to an online-accessible version once connectivity is available.

Teachers should consider whether certain homework assignments necessitate access to the Internet. On his or her computer, any student can read an e-textbook or view a video. Asking students to use material that is only available online may put certain students at a disadvantage, so consider if the Internet-dependent component of an assignment contributes to the learning experience.

The communities of villages, towns or cities local facilities can be of tremendous support too. Many community groups provide free Internet connection to students and their families, which many students and their families are unaware of. The public have had access to these types of service for a long time at public libraries for instance. Connectivity may be found in youth centres, and other community facilities where children spend time outside of school. Even customers are frequently granted access to wireless networks by companies such as coffee shops. Working together and communicating to make these resources known to students and their families is vital. For instance, when a school begins a 1:1 program, the library should be notified so that it can prepare for an increased demand for services.

One approach that’s gained traction is for local communities to play a direct role in providing internet service — in many cases by building their own or relying on their own infrastructure. Something that has proven to be quite effective is for communities to build municipal broadband.

Establishing a municipal network to cover an entire city isn’t new either, there have been various initiatives since 2010, that have found ways despite laws that deter or even prohibit local governments and communities from establishing their own networks. A number of cities around the world, the pandemic has inspired them to develop some narrower versions of municipal broadband that get around these restrictions, focused on creating ‘affordable networks’ that specifically target low-income households. Several of these were born out of the immediate need to bridge the homework / home study gap prior to the pandemic.

Institutions both public and private also need to consider partnering up, buddying their physical assets, spaces and resources. With a significant number of students who do not have access to the Internet at home, the combined efforts of these institutions must be proactive in offering reliable, all-day connectivity throughout the day.

Wherever children work before and after school, they must have access to the internet. Throughout the day, providing Wi-Fi connections in other go to points, study halls, cafeterias, and libraries. Some school and college districts with large rural populations should consider installing cellular wireless connectivity on school buses, allowing students to use the buses as "rolling study halls" on their way to and from school or activities.

Buddying is very important, whilst some initiatives do exist between public and private intuitions, the success of bridging the digital divide, certainly for the interim will require strong partnerships between the public and private sector as a whole to assess students' needs and to address issues.

Some educators and advisors have suggested "low-tech" remote teaching methods in view of the pressing requirement for technology and access during the continuing COVID-19 interruptions. Teachers can, for example, phone or contact students who do not have internet access to ensure that all students have access to school and education.

Other solutions include mailing print materials home, having materials delivered to pupils through school buses or regular postal services, and assigning audio content such as podcasts instead of videos to save bandwidth for those struggling with their limited internet access, as a result of basic subscriptions.

Education companies like Pearson for instance, as part of their Digital-First strategy are changing how students get textbooks. With their Print Renewal Program, it is designed to allow students to rent textbooks through the same campus stores and online retailers that they use today to rent and purchase learning materials. This will help students by making course materials more affordable and accessible. Save money through lower course material costs. And save time by not having to search for the best prices.

Then we have other company examples like Consenna, a business consultancy notable within the technology sector who is working with Microsoft to try to tackle the digital divide.

The channel player, which has a strong track record of devising programmes with leading vendors in the education market, is launching its Device for Education initiative.

The idea is to get one million students hooked up with a device in the first year, with options for outright ownership, leasing or via a parental contribution model.

A partnership with Microsoft gives access to a fair amount of muscle and the firm is coming with the support of hardware partners HP and Tactus/GeoBook, as well as its own Surface line. It has also has a range of partners that can deliver systems on call, including Beeso IT, System Active, Total Computers, Academia, Stone, TME, XMA, Computacenter and BT.

Although the idea of a programme like this is perhaps not unique, but it does approach the market with a different proposition.

And while other 1-2-1 and leasing programmes exist, there are several key differences with ‘Devices for Education’. Not only is it equitable in ensuring that every student has access to a device of the same standard, but it is entirely transparent from a cost and device lifecycle management perspective.

Industry leaders around the world are also pushing an innovative new technological architecture known as the micro-cloud learning environment, that allows globalizing learning on a local level, even in these infrastructure-challenged environments. A micro-cloud is a self-contained yet cloud-enabled e-Learning environment that gives students and teachers access to cloud-based learning management systems, curriculum, material, and resources – even if the school doesn't have internet or electricity.

Micro-clouds in some cases are the best method for ensuring learning continuity following school closures caused by COVID-19, by combining at-home, hybrid, and return-to-school learning environments into a single experience. Students can benefit from a quick deployment of an e-learning environment that may be transferred to a student's home if necessary, ensuring that the learning process is not disrupted. Additionally, this allows pupils to attend schools in a rotational model (not all at the same time). They can use e-Learning at school to download activities and tasks for the week on their device, then work on those activities at home.

Fundamentally schools, colleges, universities, communities as whole, government education departments must collaborate, and provide adequate answers and solutions to the following points:

Infrastructure

Where is hardware and other equipment located, and where is Internet access provided? In libraries, labs or classrooms, local facilities? What kinds of classrooms?

How good is the software used? Is it aligned with standards and differentiation of available devices and responsive design? Does it include productivity and reference tools? Is it linguistically and culturally appropriate?

Student Usage

Which students have access to technology? Does it vary by race, ethnicity, gender or income level? Do students in special programs such as bilingual and SEND programs have equal access?

Which kinds of student activities predominate? Tutorial programs, product development, or problem solving? Do all students get to experience more creative uses of instructional technology?

Technical Support

Who provides technical support?

How long do teachers usually wait for it?

Are they allowed or encouraged to do some things for themselves?

Teacher Training

Who is trained? Those already knowledgeable about ICT / technology or those new to it? Regular program teachers or special program teachers? Individuals or teams?

Does the training focus on technology and digital integration?

What follow-up support is provided?

Conclusions

Even without a large digital barrier, providing interesting instruction during remote learning is difficult. It's even worse when pupils don't have access to technology or the internet. Because computers and mobile technology will continue to be a part of schools in the future, finding methods to engage with students will likely be an ongoing endeavour long beyond the COVID -19 disruption.

Some students (or their parents) may want to continue their distant schooling. Schools and colleges may even integrate more so with blended learning models that are integral with technology and internet access.

Despite the pandemic’s catastrophic effects on Education, some digital equity advocates and policymakers see this as an opportune moment to start closing the digital divide for good.

But education advocates, policymakers, educators and parents will also need to maintain an interest in the problem over the months and years ahead, even after students return to schools and vaccines are widespread. After all there is no holy grail when it comes to digital equity.

As another academic year draws to a close, this is unique moment to close the divide — while there is focus and urgency on the issue, especially given the uncertainty of how to define the next academic year for educators, parents and students across the world. To succeed in bridging the digital divide, efforts must take advantage of the momentum on the issue today and maintain the need even beyond the pandemic.

The public and private sectors of innovation and industry will need to work together with this sense of urgency. To take immediate action to ensure equitable learning opportunities during the pandemic, as well as a long-term commitment to ensure our children’s educational future thus ensuring that digital technology benefits ALL students and their families.