Covid-19 risks a lost generation amid India’s digital divide

Students access e-learning content on mobile phones during a class at a library in Mumbai on Oct 17. As many as 80% of Indian students couldn’t access online schooling during the lockdown, and many might not return to classrooms when they reopen, according to a recent study by Oxfam. — Indranil Mukherjee/AFP

Dhiru, an Indian teenager who entered 10th grade this year, hasn’t attended even one day of class since the academic year began in April.

The school was closed for months amid the pandemic, but even since it reopened Dhiru’s mother Rekha Devi is afraid to send her son to class. Unlike some schools, Dhiru’s doesn’t offer online instruction – and even if it did, the family doesn’t own a computer or a smartphone to access the Internet.