E-education, if well utilised, can reduce inequalities in educational outcomes: Economic Survey

Online schooling, which has taken off in a big way during the Covid-19 pandemic, can help reduce inequalities in educational outcomes if it is well-utilised, the Pre-Budget Economic Survey said on Friday.

Quoting the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2020 Wave-1 (Rural), the Survey pointed out that the percentage of enrolled children from government and private schools owning a smartphone increased from 36.5 per cent in 2018 to 61.8 per cent in 2020 in rural India.

“…if utilised well, the resultant reduction in the digital divide between rural and urban, gender, age and income groups is likely to reduce inequalities in educational outcomes,” it added.

The Economic Survey 2020-21 was presented by Finance Minster Nirmala Sitharaman in Parliament earlier in the day.