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Challenges in Online Learning 2. Internet connectivity issues

1. Access to gadgets The number of internet users in India has
increased dramatically in recent years.
In a country like India a digital divide
is clearly visible (Beniwal, 2020). India’s But the low penetration of the internet
digital penetration is not as much restricts access only to the privileged
as many other developed nations. groups (Illavarasan, 2013). According
There are students who do not have to experts, existing telecommunication
access to smartphones or computers. infrastructure suffers from various
Additionally, having a smartphone with a challenges such as spectrum issues,
4G connection is preferred for attending lower broadband penetration and
online classes that are conducted live, low level of wired connectivity. The
which may not be available to many present telecom infrastructure in India
students particularly those who have is not capable of handling the increased
a low- income background. When demand owing to the conduct of
online learning commenced in different online lectures coupled with the ‘work
parts of the country in 2020 after the from home’ strategy adopted by the
imposition of lockdowns, numerous corporate sector due to the imposition
cases of suicides by students were of lockdowns. The current technical
reported. They allegedly resorted to design of the telecom industry is not
such an extreme measure because equipped to cater to the needs of online
they didn’t own any suitable gadgets to teaching-learning thereby leading to
attend the lectures. The lack of access network congestion and bandwidth
to devices, which deprives them of issues. A report of Telecom Regulatory
their education, affects students’ well- Authority of India shows that the
being (Bisht et.al, 2020). This reveals internet has made deeper penetration
the pressures that the system puts on into the society after 2017. But the rural-
the students and points fingers at the urban gap in internet access is a huge
need to bring in parity. Even among worry (TRAI report 2019). Affordability
middle-class families there may be just is yet another cause of concern.
one computer per household. In the Affordable internet is a distant dream
event that there are multiple children in India. Also, in this time of financial
who have online lectures, coupled with crisis, it is a big question that how many
their parents who may have to ‘work will be able to pay for internet, which
from home’, the question of who gets to is often considered a luxury in many
use the device and who has to forgo it, parts of the country. There have been
becomes a very serious question which several instances wherein people have
has no right answers. If these basic ventured out of their homes, sitting
issues are not resolved, education will in their cars or even on trees in order
become inaccessible to many in the to get better network coverage. Most
nation. households in the rural areas do not
have a Wi-Fi connection. They rely on

108 Indian Journal of Educational Technology
Volume 3, Issue 2, July 2021