The expansion of digital education creates a new binary of digital haves and have-nots. Based on the primary data collected from private and public schools across two districts in Uttar Pradesh, it is argued that affordability and accessibility remain critical in determining the equality curve of digitised education. Caste boundaries are being reinforced through unequal digital capital.

The article discusses the prevailing inequality in digital education in terms of unequal schools, access to digital resources, and digital literacy corresponding to the social backgrounds of the learners in eastern Uttar Pradesh. With the changing nature of knowledge dissemination, access to digital resources in terms of the internet, laptops/computers or mobile phones, digitally literate parents, and digitally equipped schools have become increasingly significant (Churchill 2017; Ragnedda 2018). Put simply, digital capital, conceptualised as the “accumulation of digital competencies and digital technology” (Ragnedda 2018: 2367), is becoming a significant tool for getting ahead in a meritocratic society (Park 2017). In this context, the article looks into how digital capital intersects with the social background of the learners and how this reinforces existing socio-economic inequalities in society.

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QOSHE - Digital Capital and Segregated Schooling - Utkarsh Kamal
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Digital Capital and Segregated Schooling

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15.03.2024

The expansion of digital education creates a new binary of digital haves and have-nots. Based on the primary data collected from private and public schools across two districts in Uttar Pradesh, it is argued that affordability and accessibility remain critical in determining the equality curve of digitised education. Caste boundaries are being reinforced through unequal digital capital.

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