Staggering education system: effects of digital divide during the COVID-19

Corona epidemic has severely affected the day to day life in Pakistan. While on one hand, its severe economic consequences are coming in view, while on the other, a large number of children have faced grave danger. In Pakistan, where over 300,000 schools have been closed since 13th March due to the coronavirus outbreak, a relatively small section of students able to continue learning through digital platforms and applications like Zoom and others. But for millions of other Pakistani students, the fundamentals of internet-based life, smartphones, and the internet, remain out of reach. Last month, thousands of students across Pakistan protested against the government’s decision that universities hold online classes, even as poor internet services remain a major problem, particularly in remote provinces like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which also includes parts of tribal strongholds of erstwhile FATA.

Lack of basic amenities!

Around 65 percent of people in Pakistan live in rural areas where there’s no broadband, wireless internet or 3G/4G coverage or very poor quality. Indeed, home broadband is expensive outside Pakistan’s big cities. Smartphone penetration stands at 51% this year and only one million school-age children have regular access to digital devices and proper bandwidth, according to the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority. While access to education was already a problem in Pakistan – 22.8 million of Pakistan’s over 70 million children are out of school – the coronavirus outbreak has exposed its profound technological inequities. Over 50 million school and university-going Pakistanis now risk falling behind.

The Global Economy in its 2017 survey revealed that nearly 30% of Pakistan’s population lives without electricity. The latest available figures from the official Pakistan Telecommunication Authority from a survey in November 2019 showed that only 36.2% of the country’s population has internet access – and that includes users who are using internet through 2.5 G or EDGE.

According to The Inclusive Internet Index 2020, Pakistan fell into the last queue of countries, and its overall ranking 76th out of 100 countries (and 24th out of 26 Asian countries). Besides a low level of digital literacy and poor quality networks, the country also lags far behind in the affordability indicators. Internet access in Pakistan stands at around 35 percent, with 78 million broadband and 76 million mobile internets (3/4G) connections. Around 35 percent of Pakistan lacks even internet infrastructure too.

Gender divide!

In Pakistan, gender discrimination is also clearly visible in this issue. In Pakistan, the digital gender divide is among the highest in the world. According to the GSMA “Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019”, Pakistan had the widest mobile ownership gender gap as women were 37 percent less likely than men to own a mobile phone due to economic inequality and patriarchal attitudes.

Security concerns!

Internet services have also been disrupted in Pakistan for security concerns. Additionally, mobile internet (often the most affordable mode of access) has been shut down in parts of Balochistan and ex-FATA due to generalised security reasons. Even for areas that do have access, internet speed varies based on one’s location. For instance, internet speed in Gilgit-Baltistan is significantly slower than internet speed in urban centers of Punjab and Sindh. Lastly, internet access is often linked to an uninterrupted and reliable electricity supply. Load shedding in several parts of the country can go up to 16 to 18 hours a day, often during the day when virtual classes and official work takes place.

Urban-rural divide

There is an urban and rural divide. Despite that approximately 70% of Pakistan's inhabitants living in rural villages, nearly 90% of the ICT-related infrastructure is installed in urban areas. This leaves a large portion of the country's populace without access to ICTs potential to support human development. The most outspoken opposition against the government’s move to conduct online classes is coming from the students which belong to remote areas like Gilgit Baltistan, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They point out that their hometowns do not have electricity and internet services. Online classes and assessments are not accessible for them in the present condition. Most private companies invest in infrastructures in urban towns for commercial reasons and their benefits. And investing in rural and remote areas maybe not so feasible.

And in the name of improving the situation, the Government of Pakistan has only assurances. Pakistan’s education minister said that e-learning portals with digital content available on-demand and a local area network system to deliver content to the poorest and remote regions were both in the works. He also added that “student relief package” with low-cost internet packages and reduced duties on smartphones had been placed before the prime minister for approval. But even such proposals have died before. Education has been an issue which the rulers of Pakistan never cared about.