The National Digital Literacy Mission defines Digital Literacy as “The ability of individuals and communities to understand and use digital technologies for meaningful actions within life situations.”
In today’s rapidly evolving economic landscape, digital literacy is a crucial skill for professional success. Despite the prevalence of the digital landscape, only 38% of the households are digitally literate.
Computer literacy, defined as the ability to use a computer, stands at 24.7% among individuals aged 15 years and above. This marks an increase from 18.4% in 2017-18 to 24.7% in 2020-21 overall. In rural areas, it is an increase from 11.1% to 18.1%, while in urban areas it has gone up from 34.7% to 39.6%.
Covid – 19 pandemic and digital payment
At a time when there is a rapid digital transformation across the globe, India is also not lagging behind. In our country, the significance of digital literacy was understood very well during the Covid-19 pandemic when due to the pandemic and lockdown, people were confined indoors. At that time, we mostly ordered groceries, medicines, food and other necessities online and digital payment experienced a boom as people avoided cash transactions in fear of getting infected. So, the lockdown taught a lot of us how to make digital payment!
“The digital literacy gap between men and women in rural areas attribute to multiple factors, including limited access to technology due to gender norms and economic constraints, lack of educational opportunities, and the absence of role models. However, in absence of viable alternatives, certain initiatives have driven women, including underprivileged rural women to embrace the use of digital options; an easy example being- the use of digital payment systems, proving how necessity can drive the adoption of digital technology even in areas where access might have been limited. Today digital literacy for women is not just about empowerment but fundamental necessity for active participation in society. It is a tool that will help them navigate an increasingly digital world, opening doors to education, employment, and essential services that are vital for the overall well-being,” expressed Neetu Kakoti, Social Worker for Women Empowerment & Founder of Unplanned Events, Sonitpur, Assam.
Not only through digital payment, digital literacy also entered our homes through laptops, desktops and smartphones as children had to rely on virtual lessons with schools and other educational institutions being shut amid the pandemic. The sudden switch to work from home, virtual learning and communication made us feel the necessity to work on our digital literacy skills to overcome the challenges we were facing in everyday life due to lack of adequate knowledge.
However, not just for India, digital literacy in the present day has become a global necessity. It is very much the need of the hour in the present day due to increasing dependence on digital technology in terms of work, education, healthcare and almost every aspect of life.
Existing gaps in digital literacy in India
India in the last 6-7 years has taken rapid strides towards going digital. The Government has been focusing on providing digital literacy to citizens across the country, especially the underprivileged rural population and the urban poor.
Despite everything, gaps based on gender, urban-rural, socio-economic background etc. exist even today due reasons like lack of access to modern technology, inadequate education, patriarchal family structure and others.
The lack of digital knowledge among a vast majority of our population leads to a gap in overall literacy as well. Just as Indian children are introduced to various languages, mathematics, science, social science and other subjects from a very young age, imparting digital education in schools from a young age, will make our future citizens more digitally capable as compared to the current generation.
Talking about how digital literacy can benefit the less privileged section of India, Harsh Tiwari, Director of non-profit organisation Bindi International (formerly Barefoot College International), said, “Digital literacy among children from India’s most rural areas opens doors to new perspectives and provides a pathway to high-quality education. The last mile communities have a better future because closing the digital divide gives them access to opportunities as well as information.”
Explaining why digital literacy is the need of the hour in the present day, Javed Siddiqui, Lead, Education at Transform Rural India shared, “The State of Elementary Education in Rural India – 2023 report finds that given smartphones, 69% of the rural population responded to increased interest in their wards in education. However, more than half of them use smartphones for recreational purposes. It is, then, key to introduce children to high-quality, engaging content in a structured way leveraging the ICT infrastructure in schools – to ensure exposure to digital learning. As a Digital Public Good (DPG), we are, with various tech-based platforms, committed to ensuring that educators and parents are able to access digital content even in low-resource environments by building capacity at multiple levels to create and use resources in local languages. For instance, the adaptability to share via WhatsApp allowed us to reach all children in villages with storybooks in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Talking about the gaps existing in digital literacy and the changing scenario, especially in rural areas of India, Mr Siddiqui opined, “The Global Education Monitoring Report by UNESCO highlighted the increased rural-urban divide worldwide in the education technology segment, but as the status of education report highlights there is a significant improvement in rural India in the last two years. With barriers to access such as intermittent internet connectivity still at play, it is important to design inclusive digital solutions. With this philosophy in mind, we need to ensure that content can be accessed easily in offline and online pathways with indic language interfaces and ease of use across platforms like WhatsApp. Developing contextual, multilingual learning material has been key to ensuring that the content is relevant, relatable, and represents different cultures and identities, leaving no child behind.”
Challenges in the way of digital literacy in India
Things are easier said than done as there are several obstacles to implementing digital literacy in educational institutions in India.
The sudden shift to online teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic in India led to teachers struggling to adapt to teaching online. Students, especially from less privileged backgrounds and rural areas also suffered due to lack of internet connectivity, lack of access to computers, laptops or smartphones through which they can attend video conferences hosted by their schools and private tutors.
Many schools in our country lack the basic infrastructure required to support comprehensive digital learning. Apart from this, the number of trained educators who are proficient in digital literacy is inadequate. If there are no instructors, then who will impart the essential skills?
Centre’s initiatives to boost digital literacy
The Government of India has taken several initiatives to boost digital literacy especially among the underprivileged sections of the population and close the digital divide.
The Department of School Education And Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India has communicated a refined and comprehensive description of literacy tailored to the Indian context. This initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and aims to expedite the attainment of full literacy across all States, Union Territories under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram. This also supports the SDG 4.6 which is about ensuring that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030.
Between 2014 and 2016, the Government of India implemented two schemes for ensuring digital literacy for the masses namely National Digital Literacy Mission (NDLM) and Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (DISHA) with a cumulative target of 52.50 lakh persons (one person from every eligible household) across the country including rural India. Under these two schemes, a total of 53.67 lakh beneficiaries were trained, out of which around 42% candidates were from rural India.
The Government started another scheme in 2017, called the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) to boost digital literacy especially in rural India. As of December, 2022, more than 6.62 crore candidates have been enrolled and 5.68 crore have been trained, out of which 4.22 crore candidates have been certified under the scheme across India.
Benefits of digital literacy
There are several ways in which digital literacy benefits a person. In the case of students, digital knowledge is necessary to create audio-visual content, presentations etc. for academic purposes. Also, digital knowledge fosters extremely necessary skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. With the help of technology, a person can seamlessly communicate on virtual platforms such as social media, email, video calling etc. and also access information online.
Also, digital literacy skills empower youths for professions which need this. With the entire world going digital be it in education or healthcare, knowledge of computers is increasingly becoming a necessity for a lot of professions.
Talking about the necessity of imparting digital literacy among today’s children, Suresh Khandelwal -Chief Operating Officer, Electrosteel – Srikalahasthi Works expressed, “We firmly believe that in this digital age, imparting digital literacy amongst school children is imperative. As the world rapidly embraces technology, digital platforms have become an integral part of life and it is crucial that our future generation is equipped with the skills to navigate this evolving landscape. Digital literacy is not merely about using devices or accessing the internet; it encompasses critical thinking, responsible cyberspace behaviour, and the ability to harness technology for learning and growth. We recognize the transformative power of digital literacy in shaping young minds and preparing them for the challenges of tomorrow.”
“To promote digital literacy amongst students in rural areas we have initiated year round Computer Literacy Programmes for students at schools in Tirupati district (Andhra Pradesh). We have created computer infrastructure also at these schools for continuity. The program aims to empower young minds in the rural areas with practical computer skills, including basic computer operations, proficiency in MS Office softwares like MS Word, MS Excel, Internet, Mail and Social media platform usage. These tools will help the students create digital content, to enhance their educational experience and empower them to become informed and engaged global citizens,” he added.
Fake news and cyber safety
Also, a digitally literate person knows how to use social media and other digital platforms in a more responsible manner. Especially, talking about falling prey to threats like phishing and fake news or propaganda can be avoided and at the same time computer literacy enables one to secure their personal data at a time when cyber crime is rampant and cyber security is the need of the hour.
CSR for Digital literacy in India
Companies operating in India have a huge role to play in terms of digital inclusion and bridging the gaps. Several companies operating in India are taking efforts to make the marginalised communities digitally literate. While some are donating computers (including end of life computers), some are distributing tablets and smartphones (including refurbished ones), some are arranging for digital literacy programmes for people of various age groups, school students, middle aged as well as the elderly, while some are focusing exclusively on women. Computer laboratories are also being set up in schools with CSR support so that Indian citizens of tomorrow are a step ahead and well equipped to survive in this digital world.
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), one of India’s leading FMCG companies is providing financial and digital literacy training to over 2,000 women in Bihar’s Hajipur. The beneficiaries are residents of five villages: Sultanpur, Jethuli, Karanpura, Mograhi, and Sahdullpur. HCCB has joined hands with the Y4D foundation for this endeavour, aiming to bridge the skills deficit in financial and technological expertise among women from diverse backgrounds. Through this endeavour, HCCB aspires to support women, enabling them to take charge of their financial independence and embrace the opportunities the government and digital world offer.
NIIT Foundation, in partnership with Mahindra Finance, recently announced the launch of a Financial and Digital Literacy Program aimed at empowering 30,000 underprivileged Gig workers across India. This initiative represents a significant step towards equipping the growing gig workforce with essential skills for the digital age.
PNB Housing Finance, a leading housing finance company in India, inaugurated Pehel Computer Labs in collaboration with Niramay Charitable Trust through its CSR arm, Pehel Foundation in September, 2024. The state-of-the-art computer labs, established in the Government Nursing College Ahmedabad and Surat, aim to enhance digital literacy among nursing students and faculty. The facilities will help more than 1000 students and faculties across both the colleges with online study material, references, assignments, and projects to promote nursing education and research.
The labs are equipped with latest technology and devices like computers, printers and high-speed internet connections, along with modern infrastructure, to offer a conducive learning environment and significantly promote nursing education and research.
