ASER reveals gender gap in digital literacy. We must ensure that no girl is left behind

The numbers archer a story

The ASER 2024 survey, conducted crossed 29 states and Union Territories, provides a broad snapshot of children’s schooling and learning experiences successful agrarian India. On integer literacy, the findings uncover that 90.2 per cent of boys and 88.1 per cent of girls successful the 14 to 16-year property radical person smartphones disposable astatine home. This comparatively constrictive spread seems to beryllium wider erstwhile 1 examines the existent usage of smartphones.

For integer tasks, 70.2 per cent of boys were capable to bring a device, compared to lone 62.2 per cent of girls. This indicates that adjacent erstwhile smartphones are disposable astatine home, girls look systemic barriers—be it societal norms, parental control, oregon prioritisation of boys’ education—that bounds their access.

Moreover, 85.5 per cent of boys reported that they could usage smartphones, portion the fig for girls stood astatine 79.4 per cent. Among those who could usage a smartphone, the disparity successful ownership is adjacent starker: Only 36.2 per cent of boys and a specified 26.9 per cent of girls had their ain smartphones. This deficiency of idiosyncratic ownership not lone limits entree but besides curtails opportunities for girls to research and larn independently.

Regional disparities

The integer disagreement varies wide crossed regions successful the country, with immoderate areas being acold much connected than others. When it comes to utilizing smartphones for education-related activities, the survey recovered that students successful Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, and Sikkim performed notably better, with a higher percent of students utilizing the smartphone to execute astatine slightest 1 education-related enactment during the notation week. This tin beryllium attributed to stronger integer infrastructure, greater awareness, and beardown efforts to incorporated exertion into learning.

In contrast, states similar Meghalaya, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal lagged, reporting the lowest percentages of students engaging successful acquisition activities via smartphones. This determination saltation highlights the request for tailored interventions that code differences successful integer literacy, infrastructure, arsenic good arsenic socio-cultural factors. Tailored, region-specific solutions are indispensable for bridging the integer divide.

Empowering girls done adjacent integer access

The sex spread successful integer entree is not conscionable a statistic; it is simply a reflection of deep-rooted societal norms that prioritise boys’ acquisition and opportunities implicit girls’. Smartphones and integer devices should not beryllium seen simply arsenic tools for communication. They supply entree to online learning, integer libraries and skill-building programs, and tin besides accelerate opportunities for societal mobility. For girls, peculiarly successful agrarian areas, these devices tin unfastened doors to a satellite beyond their contiguous surroundings.

However, the deficiency of entree and ownership deprives girls of the quality to afloat enactment successful the integer age. It restricts their vulnerability to knowledge, limits their quality to make integer skills, and yet reduces their competitiveness successful an progressively technology-driven occupation market. The consequences of this disagreement are far-reaching, perpetuating cycles of inequality and stalling advancement toward sex equity.

As an educationist, I judge that addressing the sex spread successful integer entree is not conscionable astir technology—it is astir equity and empowerment. Smartphones and integer tools clasp immense imaginable to span acquisition disparities, but lone if we guarantee that nary child—especially nary girl—is near behind.

It is clip for us, arsenic a society, to recognise that empowering girls with integer entree is not a choice. It is simply a necessity. The aboriginal of education, and so the nation, depends connected it.

The writer is simply a General Secretary, Managements of Independent CBSE Schools Association – Karnataka. He is the committee subordinate of Delhi Public Schools, Bengaluru and Mysuru. He is besides the Secretary, All India Congress Committee (In-charge of Kerala & Lakshadweep)