IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ON DIGITAL LEARNING IN ASSAM: ECONOMIC CAUSES BEHIND IT.

Abstract

Digital learning is one of the most influential alternatives for mitigating the effects of a pandemic on the teaching-learning process. Especially in the present COVID-19 crisis, digital learning has emerged as a great alternative for continuing academic activities where the physical gathering is completely prohibited. Academic institutions and other online learning platforms take initiatives to promote digital learning process during these days, but the digital divide has stood as the main barrier in the front of it. In this paper, we have found that the digital divide is the main factor responsible for the failure of digital learning in Assam. Though there are different causes of the digital divide existed, we have limited our discussion by focusing explicitly on economic causes of the digital divide in Assam. Illiteracy, lack of skills, inadequate investment in ICT, infrastructural gap, low PCI are the major factors responsible for the digital divide in Assam.