Digital Divide: Managing Inequities and Environmental Injustices

Abstract

The digital divide is a space between the haves and have-nots of the internet. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic all over the world, students are asked to shift to online learning. This transition was easy for fortunate students. On the other hand, unfortunate ones have tasted huge loss, especially due to insufficient internet access and electronic devices, which is leading to poor and unacceptable educational services. A rise to the digital divide among students has taken place due to this unequal access. Many expenses such as Wi-Fi, laptops, mobile phones, and cellular data are not on the budget of underserved communities. Education is often seen as a standardizing factor in life. The huge digital divide in education means a big obstruction to the development of the underdeveloped society since there will be no room for inventing new technologies and conduct research. A stronger infrastructure is required to provide an uninterrupted internet connection to students if the digital divide has to be narrowed down. The motto of this paper is to focus on the factors that might affect education due to digital divide and the importance of education. It also highlights the way we can bridge the gap of digital divide in education and help students grow. If a push is given towards digital literacy, both supplies and manufacturing can lead to a meaningful change in this e-education era.