Professor Yossi Mekelberg writes for Arab News on how lockdown is deepening the digital divide – meaning more people than ever might be missing out on an education. Read the full article.
‘Almost overnight, human activities across the world have moved online as people have been forced into lockdown.
‘But this new normal is not for everyone. More than ever, lockdown has highlighted the privileges of those with access to information technology — and nowhere more so than in the education sector.
‘The digital divide mainly affects the underprivileged members of societies across the globe, especially the poor, rural, elderly, and disabled, who have very limited access to computers and the internet, if any at all.
‘As education moves into cyberspace, there is a real danger that many without access to it will be left behind, to the detriment of their own futures and that of their societies.
‘Bringing down these barriers to education and information will require a concerted international effort on the part of international institutions, national governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations and education sectors to work together to ensure a lifelong education for everyone — one that is global by nature.