{"id":253413,"date":"2023-07-25T20:34:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T15:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=253413"},"modified":"2023-08-31T10:39:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T05:09:47","slug":"advancing-technologies-are-not-giving-all-children-a-better-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/advancing-technologies-are-not-giving-all-children-a-better-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Advancing technologies are not giving all children a better future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source<\/strong>– The post is based on the article \u201cAdvancing technologies are not giving all children a better future\u201d <\/strong>published in the \u201cLive Mint\u201d <\/strong>on 25th July 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Syllabus: <\/strong>GS 3 – Inclusive growth. GS2- Vulnerable sections of the population<\/p>\n

Relevance:<\/strong> Issues related to digital divide<\/p>\n

News- <\/strong>The article explains the issue of lack of digital access, connectivity and literacy among children from vulnerable sections.<\/p>\n

What are some digital divides among vulnerable sections of the population?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Women, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, ethnic or linguistic minorities, indigenous communities and residents of impoverished or remote areas are mostly<\/strong> impacted<\/strong> by this digital divide.<\/p>\n

Children from underprivileged<\/strong> backgrounds<\/strong> are most vulnerable. They lack<\/strong> access<\/strong> to the resources needed to utilise advancing technologies.<\/p>\n

As per a report jointly released by Unicef<\/strong> and the International<\/strong> Telecommunication<\/strong> Union<\/strong>, 2.2 billion children and young people aged 25 years or younger lack internet<\/strong> connectivity<\/strong> in their homes. 768 million children without internet<\/strong> access<\/strong> reside in South Asia.<\/p>\n

Closer home, report by the Unified<\/strong> District<\/strong> Information<\/strong> System<\/strong> for<\/strong> Education<\/strong> plus<\/strong>, about 66% of schools in India lack access<\/strong> to<\/strong> the<\/strong> internet<\/strong>. Less than 50% of the schools surveyed had functional computers.<\/p>\n

What are the impacts of digital divide on children and young population?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It impacts the academic<\/strong>, professional<\/strong> and personal<\/strong> endeavours<\/strong> of children in an increasingly digitised world.<\/p>\n

In today’s interconnected world<\/strong>, access to the internet has become a fundamental<\/strong> necessity<\/strong>. It serves as a gateway to knowledge<\/strong>, information<\/strong> and opportunities<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Children from rural households face unequal levels of connectivity<\/strong> and<\/strong> access<\/strong> to online resources compared to their urban counterparts.<\/p>\n

Without appropriate interventions, these disparities will only widen. It will limit educational<\/strong> opportunities<\/strong> and hinder their ability to engage in e<\/strong>–learning<\/strong>, access online<\/strong> educational<\/strong> material<\/strong>, and participate in virtual<\/strong> classrooms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The lack of internet access in rural areas also impacts their social<\/strong> development<\/strong>. They are unable to connect with peers, explore diverse<\/strong> perspectives<\/strong>, and access a wealth of online content that could enrich their knowledge and experiences.<\/p>\n

This dearth of connectivity also hinders their exposure to digital<\/strong> literacy<\/strong> and essential<\/strong> technological<\/strong> skills<\/strong>. These have become increasingly crucial in today’s workforce.<\/p>\n

As a result, the digital divide exacerbates existing socio<\/strong>–economic<\/strong> inequalities<\/strong> and perpetuates a cycle of disadvantage for rural communities.<\/p>\n

Way forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n

To bridge the digital divide and ensure equal<\/strong> opportunities<\/strong> for children from rural households, concerted<\/strong> efforts<\/strong> are required.<\/p>\n

This entails expanding internet infrastructure, enhancing connectivity in remote areas, and making internet services more affordable and accessible.<\/p>\n

Universal<\/strong> Service<\/strong> Obligation<\/strong> Fund<\/strong> can be utilised. It was intended to financially support telecom services in rural and remote regions with limited commercial viability.<\/p>\n

Public<\/strong>–private<\/strong> partnerships<\/strong> can play a crucial role in implementing initiatives to address these challenges, such as establishing community<\/strong> centers<\/strong> with internet access or leveraging innovative technologies like satellite-based internet connectivity.<\/p>\n

Collaborative<\/strong> efforts<\/strong> among government agencies, educational institutions, companies with corporate<\/strong> social<\/strong> responsibility<\/strong> budgets, and non-profit organizations is required.<\/p>\n

It can help develop comprehensive strategies aimed at empowering<\/strong> rural communities and providing them with the tools needed to succeed in the digital era.<\/p>\n

Investing in closing the digital<\/strong> divide<\/strong> for education is particularly crucial for marginalized<\/strong> children<\/strong> in India. The private sector can play a pivotal role by investing in infrastructure<\/strong>, expanding<\/strong> connectivity<\/strong>, and offering affordable<\/strong> internet services.<\/p>\n

Telecom companies can collaborate with governments to extend network coverage, while tech companies can support digital<\/strong> literacy<\/strong> and skills<\/strong> training<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Capacity<\/strong>–enhancement<\/strong> programs that combine digital<\/strong> literacy<\/strong> with entrepreneurship initiatives from marginalized communities, to leverage technology for personal and economic<\/strong> development<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source– The post is based on the article \u201cAdvancing technologies are not giving all children a better future\u201d published in the \u201cLive Mint\u201d on 25th July 2023. Syllabus: GS 3 – Inclusive growth. GS2- Vulnerable sections of the population Relevance: Issues related to digital divide News- The article explains the issue of lack of digital… Continue reading Advancing technologies are not giving all children a better future<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,9],"tags":[216,10501,242],"class_list":["post-253413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-public","tag-gs-paper-3","tag-live-mint","tag-science-and-technology","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253413\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}