The deadly coronavirus has left no space untouched. Almost every sector has been impacted by the pandemic, the education sector being one of the most affected ones. The education system was challenged by the Covid-induced lockdown as over 1.5 million schools across India were shut with an onset of online learning. Reports have shown that digital education is nowhere near effective due to a lack of internet connectivity across Indian households.
The picture is starker in the rural areas of the nation with only 4 percent of households having access to the internet. Overall the pandemic has battered the education of around 286 million students in India ranging from pre-primary to secondary levels. Also, a large section of teachers has been struggling to transition to the online mode of teaching as they are not much trained and equipped.
Meanwhile, the authorities in the education sector have been trying to make digital education accessible and affordable to all including the underprivileged sections of society. The nation is counting on the Bharatnet Project under which 250,000 gram panchayats in the country will get broadband connectivity through optic fibre. This project aims to provide education to the children in rural areas who do not have internet connectivity at their homes.