DIGITAL DIVIDE, ONLINE EDUCATION, AND THE RIGHT TO EQUAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

The online systems of learning have increased across the world as education is digitised. Online learning has been associated with flexibility, scale and innovativeness, although it has increased the problem of the digital divide, particularly among socio-economically disadvantaged groups. Digital divide does not necessarily mean unequal access to digital devices and network access, but it can also mean unequal access to digital literacy, not to mention institutional support. The chapter addresses structural inequalities through which online learning has the capacity to affect the participation, engagement, and academic performance of learners based on the contemporary writing on education and policymaking. In the chapter, the role played by governments, schools and educational institutions and policy frameworks in digital inequality is brought out, in the provision of inclusive infrastructure, affordable connectivity, and development of digital skills. The research identifies the need to include digital strategies to allow access to online learning because it is a vital extension of the right to education by putting the benefits of technology in the context of supporting justice in education rather than increasing the existing disparities.