The Oxford University Press (OUP) has launched a new research report that highlights the growing inequality in digital literacy across the world. The report titled Addressing the Deepening Digital Divide sheds a light on the widening digital divide of the global education ecosystem.
The report is based on research done across 92 countries in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia where 1,557 teachers were interviewed on challenges arising from digital learning. Challenges addressed included access to ICT hardware, cost of connectivity, comprehension of digital tools, education platforms and the need to develop digital capabilities amongst tutors and students amongst others.
Some of the barriers to effective teaching and learning highlighted in the report include poor digital access cited by 68% of the teachers, while 56% cited skills gaps as a challenge. Other factors such as digital incompetency amongst learners and teachers were reported as issues arising from a boom in education technologies, forcing teachers and learners to adapt and develop new teaching or learning capabilities.
Another barrier mentioned is lack of vernacular content, which has created a learning gap between learners in the urban areas such as cities and towns and those in the rural communities.
While most of these challenges are not new, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new learning models such as hybrid and remote learning. These have been viewed to put a heavier reliance on digital resources, deepening the divide in many countries and leaving millions at risk of being left behind.
To bridge the digital gap, the OUP Study recommends greater focus should be placed on independent learning, building digital competency skills among educators, students, and parents. OUP also recommended targeting resources to address both ends of the digital divide which are competency and accessibility.
OUP has said that it is working with different stakeholders in the education sector such as governments, policymakers, across various countries, to help address the divide, and support learners’ future prospects.