Startling Digital Divides In Distance Learning Emerge: UNESCO
New Delhi:
Half of the total number of learners - some 826 million students - kept out of the classroom by the COVID-19 pandemic, do not have access to a household computer and 43% (706 million) have no internet at home, at a time when digitally-based distance learning is used to ensure educational continuity in the vast majority of countries, according to the Teacher Task Force, an international alliance coordinated by UNESCO, on the basis of data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the International Telecommunication Union.
Disparities are particularly acute in low-income countries: in sub-Saharan Africa, 89 per cent of learners do not have access to household computers and 82% lack internet access, it added.
Furthermore, while mobile phones can enable learners access to information, connect with their teachers and with one another, about 56 million learners live in locations not served by mobile networks, almost half in sub-Saharan Africa.
"While efforts to provide connectivity to all must be multiplied, we now know that continued teaching and learning cannot be limited to online means", stated Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director General.
"To lessen already existing inequalities, we must also support other alternatives including the use of community radio and television broadcasts, and creativity in all ways of learning. These are solutions we are addressing with our Global Coalition partners," she added.
Globally, at least 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary teachers are affected by the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with school closures in 191 countries.
Even for teachers in countries with reliable information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and household connectivity, the rapid transition to online learning has been challenging. For teachers in regions where ICT and other distance methodologies are less available, the transition has been even more difficult or impossible.
"These inequalities are a real threat to learning continuity at a time of unprecedented educational disruption," said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.
"Addressing these gaps was the impetus for launching the Covid-19 Global Education Coalition, which brings together more than 90 public and private sector partners, to develop universal and equitable solutions, and make the digital revolution inclusive," she added.
The Global Education Coalition includes the International Telecommunication Union and key groups that support teachers, such as Education International, the GEMS-Varkey Foundation, the International Labour Organization and the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, which recently released a Call for Action to support teachers affected by the pandemic.
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World
24,95,667Cases16,66,165Active6,58,258Recovered1,71,244DeathsCoronavirus has spread to 185 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 24,95,667 and 1,71,244 have died; 16,66,165 are active cases and 6,58,258 have recovered as on April 21, 2020 at 5:46 pm.
India
18,985 1329Cases15,122 867Active3,260 418Recovered603 44DeathsIn India, there are 18,985 confirmed cases including 603 deaths. The number of active cases is 15,122 and 3,260 have recovered as on April 21, 2020 at 5:00 pm.
State & District Details
State | Cases | Active | Recovered | Deaths |
---|---|---|---|---|
MaharashtraDistrictCasesMumbai514Pune134Mumbai Suburban65Thane31Sangli24Ahmednagar22Nagpur17Latur8Palghar8Aurangabad8Raigad6Satara5Yavatmal4Osmanabad4Buldhana4Jalgaon2Kolhapur2Hingoli2Ratnagiri2Washim1Nashik1Sindhudurg1Amravati1Jalna1Gondia1Details Awaited*3801 |
4669 466 |
3865 392 |
572 65 |
232 9 |
DelhiDistrictCasesSouth175Central100North66Shahdara66New Delhi56South East33South West24West23East17North East9North West6Details Awaited*1506 |
2081 78 |
1603 |
431 141 |
47 2 |
GujaratDistrictCasesAhmadabad79Surat18Bhavnagar13Gandhinagar12Vadodara12Rajkot10Patan5Porbandar3Mahesana2Kachchh2Gir Somnath2Panch Mahals1Anand1Sabar Kantha1Jamnagar1Chhotaudepur1Morbi1Botad1Details Awaited*1901 |
2066 215 |
1858 180 |
131 25 |
77 10 |
RajasthanDistrictCasesJaipur104Jodhpur55Bhilwara27Tonk20Jhunjhunu20Jaisalmer16Bikaner11Churu11Kota10Banswara9Ajmer7Dungarpur6Dausa6Bharatpur5Alwar4Udaipur4Nagaur2Pali2Pratapgarh2Dholpur1Karauli1Sikar1Details Awaited*1252 |
1576 98 |
1346 65 |
205 22 |
25 11 |
Madhya PradeshDistrictCasesIndore116Bhopal70Morena12Jabalpur8Ujjain8Barwani3Khargone3Chhindwara2Gwalior2Shivpuri2Vidisha1Details Awaited*1313 |
1540 55 |
1337 53 |
127 |
76 2 |
Tamil NaduDistrictCasesChennai150Coimbatore60Dindigul45Tirunelveli36Erode32Tiruchirappalli30Namakkal28Madurai24Theni24Karur22Tiruppur19Villupuram16Cuddalore13Thiruvallur12Thiruvarur12Salem12Virudhunagar11Thanjavur11Nagapattinam11Tiruvannamalai9Kanchipuram6Kanniyakumari6Sivaganga5Vellore5The Nilgiris4Ramanathapuram2Ariyalur1Perambalur1Details Awaited*913 |
1520 43 |
1046 |
457 46 |
17 2 |
Uttar PradeshDistrictCasesGautam Buddha Nagar58Agra49Meerut32Ghaziabad23Lucknow22Shamli14Saharanpur13Kanpur Nagar8Sitapur8Varanasi7Bareilly6Maharajganj6Basti5Ghazipur5Firozabad4Hathras4Kheri4Baghpat3Pratapgarh3Jaunpur3Hapur3Azamgarh3Bulandshahr3Rae Bareli2Mirzapur2Pilibhit2Mathura2Banda2Shahjahanpur1Kaushambi1Moradabad1Prayagraj1Hardoi1Budaun1Bijnor1Barabanki1Auraiya1Details Awaited*989 |
1294 118 |
1134 104 |
140 11 |
20 3 |
TelanganaDistrictCasesHyderabad173Warangal Urban23Nizamabad23Suryapet16Medchal Malkajgiri16Ranga Reddy15Jogulamba Gadwal12Nalgonda11Adilabad10Karimnagar9Mahabubnagar8Kamareddy8Sangareddy7Vikarabad5Jagitial4Nirmal4Medak4Bhadradri Kothagudem4Peddapalli2Mulugu2Jangoan2Nagarkurnool2Jayashankar Bhupalapally1Kumuram Bheem Asifabad1Siddipet1Mahabubabad1Details Awaited*555 |
919 46 |
706 44 |
190 |
23 2 |
Andhra PradeshDistrictCasesKurnool57Spsr Nellore42Guntur38Krishna28Y.s.r.27Prakasam24West Godavari21Visakhapatanam20Chittoor17East Godavari12Anantapur6Details Awaited*465 |
757 35 |
639 29 |
96 4 |
22 2 |
KarnatakaDistrictCasesBengaluru Urban59Mysuru34Chikkaballapura10Bidar10Uttara Kannada10Dakshina Kannada8Belagavi7Ballari6Kalaburagi6Bagalkote5Bengaluru Rural5Udupi4Mandya3Tumakuru2Davangere2Gadag1Kodagu1Dharwad1Chitradurga1Details Awaited*240 |
415 20 |
284 16 |
114 3 |
17 1 |
KeralaDistrictCasesKasaragod149Kannur51Ernakulam26Thiruvananthapuram15Malappuram14Kozhikode13Pathanamthitta13Thrissur12Idukki10Kollam8Palakkad7Alappuzha3Kottayam3Wayanad3Details Awaited*81 |
408 6 |
114 |
291 21 |
3 |
West BengalDistrictCasesKolkata37Howrah15Medinipur East12Kalimpong724 Paraganas North6Jalpaiguri5Nadia524 Paraganas South4Hooghly4Purba Bardhaman3Medinipur West2Paschim Bardhaman2Darjeeling1Details Awaited*289 |
392 53 |
307 46 |
73 7 |
12 |
Jammu And KashmirDistrictCasesSrinagar33Bandipora24Baramulla16Budgam9Jammu9Udhampur8Kupwara5Pulwama4Rajouri3Shopian3Ganderbal2Details Awaited*252 |
368 18 |
292 3 |
71 15 |
5 |
HaryanaDistrictCasesNuh38Gurugram35Palwal28Faridabad19Karnal5Ambala4Panipat4Fatehabad3Sirsa3Panchkula2Bhiwani2Rohtak1Kaithal1Sonipat1Jind1Hisar1Charki Dadri1Details Awaited*105 |
254 21 |
124 |
127 40 |
3 |
PunjabDistrictCasesS.a.s Nagar26Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar (nawanshahr)18Amritsar10Hoshiarpur7Jalandhar6Ludhiana5Mansa5Fatehgarh Sahib2Pathankot2Faridkot1Kapurthala1Moga1Patiala1Barnala1Details Awaited*159 |
245 26 |
190 18 |
39 8 |
16 |
BiharDistrictCasesSiwan6Gaya5Patna5Munger4Gopalganj3Begusarai2Nalanda2Saharsa2Bhagalpur1Lakhisarai1Saran1Details Awaited*82 |
114 18 |
70 18 |
42 |
2 |
OdishaDistrictCasesKhordha33Bhadrak3Cuttack2Jajapur1Kalahandi1Kendrapara1Puri1Details Awaited*32 |
74 6 |
49 6 |
24 |
1 |
UttarakhandDistrictCasesDehradun17Nainital4Udam Singh Nagar4Almora1Haridwar1Pauri Garhwal1Details Awaited*18 |
46 2 |
28 |
18 7 |
0 |
JharkhandDistrictCasesRanchi2Hazaribagh1Details Awaited*43 |
46 4 |
44 4 |
0 |
2 |
Himachal PradeshDistrictCasesSolan7Kangra3Una3Details Awaited*26 |
39 |
22 |
16 |
1 |
ChhattisgarhDistrictCasesRaipur5Korba2Bilaspur1Durg1Rajnandgaon1Details Awaited*26 |
36 |
11 |
25 |
0 |
AssamDistrictCasesGolaghat9Goalpara4Marigaon4Nalbari4Dhubri3Kamrup Metro2Cachar1Hailakandi1Kamrup1Karimganj1Lakhimpur1South Salmara Mancachar1Details Awaited*3 |
35 |
15 |
19 2 |
1 |
ChandigarhDistrictCasesChandigarh18Details Awaited*8 |
26 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
LadakhDistrictCasesLeh Ladakh11Kargil3Details Awaited*4 |
18 |
4 |
14 |
0 |
Andaman And Nicobar IslandsDistrictCasesNorth And Middle Andaman7South Andamans3Details Awaited*6 |
16 1 |
5 1 |
11 |
0 |
MeghalayaDistrictCasesEast Khasi Hills1Details Awaited*10 |
11 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
GoaDistrictCasesNorth Goa5South Goa1Details Awaited*1 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
PuducherryDistrictCasesPondicherry4Mahe1Details Awaited*2 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
ManipurDistrictCasesImphal West1Thoubal1 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
TripuraDistrictCasesGomati1Details Awaited*1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
MizoramDistrictCasesAizawl1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Arunachal PradeshDistrictCasesLohit1 |
1 |
0 |
1 1 |
0 |
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