How Inclusive Is Online Education in India: Lessons From the Pandemic

Abstract

After years of mandatory remote education, there is still a question that remains to be answered: “Is the online medium inclusive enough to be deemed a solution?” As classrooms relocate to onlineenvironments and pedagogies rely on technologies, it becomes imperative to ensure that no one isleft behind and education remains accessible to every learner. The issue of the universality of accessto technological resources in India mingles with various socio-economic disparities that hinder thesuccessful implementation of online education. This chapter attempts to analyze and bring forwardthe factors that may contribute to the stark contrasts regarding the practicality of the onlineeducation scene in India, including accessibility, gender, socio-economic factors, and policy issues. Inmitigating the impact of an educational disruption (e.g., global health crisis) as well as the futureadoption of online instruction, this chapter summarized the topics that need addressing into themes:content understanding, learning outcomes, technological, pedagogical, and behavioral.