Economics
India’s Poor Risk Falling Through the Gaps as Schools Go Digital
- India’s surging virus numbers make return to school uncertain
- Long absence from school puts kids at risk of dropping out
This article is for subscribers only.
The coronavirus has pushed schools all over the world to go online as new waves of infections keep emerging. In India, a country where the gaps in access to education and the Internet were already vast, poor families are struggling to stay the course.
Shirin Riyaz Shah, 15, attends a small private school in Mumbai. There’s one smart-phone between her and her four siblings over which they sit through Zoom lessons and submit homework via WhatsApp. Their schedules don’t blend neatly and there’s a constant tussle over the phone.