The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected the educational landscape across India and across the globe, as schools and learning institutions have rushed to shift teaching and learning online. However, in this rush, the pre-existing class- and gender-based digital divide has remained glaringly in place, leaving a considerable population of students and learners without remedy. While affluent and well-resourced families have had an almost seamless transition from classroom learning to online learning, children from poor communities have been left behind with no support. 

Among its own students, Study Hall Educational Foundation (SHEF) has found that nearly half (44%) of children from a lower socio-economic background do not have access to smartphones or the internet. Of these, the majority are girls. In many cases, no one in the family possesses a smartphone, and so there is no way for them to access the internet. In other cases, a parent (usually a father) may own a smartphone; however, the girl’s access to this phone is often limited because (1) the parent is working throughout the day and takes the phone with them, (2) she belongs to a large family and a single phone is shared among all family members, or (3) her access is restricted because of her gender. 

While older students may be able to negotiate access or even possess a phone of their own, the problem is often amplified for students in the primary section. Even in cases where the family owns a phone and is therefore able to receive assignments and access online classes, parents are often illiterate and thus unable to facilitate their young child’s learning.

In order to facilitate access to online classes for children (especially girls) from low socio-economic and otherwise marginalized communities, SHEF proposes to provide digital technology and connectivity to select students, alumni, and teachers, who will then be responsible for facilitating learning in their communities. The project has been named “Digital Saathi,” as one device will facilitate and enable the education and learning of many.

Senior students and alumni of Prerna Girls School and Vidyasthali Kanar Intercollege who lack access and live in communities where access is minimal will receive smartphones on loan for the duration of the crisis. In addition to enabling access to their own classes, students who receive a phone will also be responsible for sharing assignments and information with other students who live nearby, and use the phone to ensure their ability to access their online classes and learning. 

Similarly, GyanSetu teachers will be provided with laptops in order to help them facilitate learning in the marginalized communities they serve. This will also enable the expansion of GyanSetu centers’ current function and enable their access to educational resources previously inaccessible by them.