Geographic Remoteness and Digital Divide in Schools: An Analysis Focused on South 24 Parganas, West Bengal

Abstract

The goal of the Government of India's flagship initiative, Digital India, is to make India a knowledge economy and society enabled by technology. The school serves as the breeding ground for the next generation. Low digital skills and equipment continue to be a barrier to meaningful participation in a digital society. This practice must begin at the school level in order to promote digital literacy among the local population. It has been noted that several government efforts were unable to reach users because of their geographic distance, which led to negative attitudes towards new technologies. This study compares and maps the digital practices in the schools of the remote South 24 Parganas, which are adjacent to the Sundarban Delta.