Long queues in front of the electronic shops that restarted business barely a week ago marked a spurt in demand for smartphones and laptops. Not everyone was there to buy the gadget for themselves. Many were buying the high-end instruments for their schoolgoing children who need them for online lessons as schools aren-t expected to open anytime soon. Consumers either paid in cash or credit card or even used an EMI facility. The buyers- data may still be raw but it has brought out an abject reality - parents who cannot even afford a smartphone, forget a laptop. Will their kids go without lessons until schools resume?

Digital divide too wide
A survey conducted recently in Maharashtra and nine other states showed that about 56 per cent of children didn-t have access to smartphones. The study -Scenario amidst COVID 19 - Onground Situations and Possible Solutions- was conducted by child rights NGO Smile Foundation. The findings of the study showed that 43.99 per cent of surveyed children have access to smartphones, another 43.99 per cent have access to basic phones, while 12.02 per cent do not have access to either.
Plugging the digital divide in the country shouldn-t be an easy task. The survey observed that the divide may turn online classes into an operational nightmare. As per official statistics, there are over 35 crore students in the country. However, it is not clear how many of them have access to digital devices and the Internet, said the survey.