Digital Learning Readiness and Educational Equity across Urban and Rural Schools of Giridih District : A Secondary-Data Analysis

@article{1722935,
      author = {Bhavesh Kumar, Dr. Poonam Bala},
      title = {Digital Learning Readiness and Educational Equity across Urban and Rural Schools of Giridih District : A Secondary-Data Analysis},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2025},
      volume = {9},
      number = {2},
      pages = {1591-1600},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722935.pdf},
      abstract = {Digital learning can reduce geographical barriers to educational resources, but its benefits depend on school-level infrastructure, connectivity, teacher capacity and the social context in which students learn. This paper examines digital learning readiness and educational equity in Giridih District, Jharkhand, with particular attention to differences that may affect urban and rural schools. A descriptive secondary-data design was adopted. Evidence was compiled from the official Giridih District education portal, the district school inventory and block-wise school status documents, district educational indicators, selected school mandatory-disclosure pages, the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2023-24 national report, and Government of India digital-education initiatives. The analysis shows that Giridih has a wide school network and a long history of expanding access, but access alone does not guarantee equivalent digital learning conditions. Selected school disclosures demonstrate uneven connectivity: several schools report internet access and computer/science laboratories, whereas at least one selected rural school reports no internet facility. At the state level, UDISE+ 2023-24 reports computers in 57.2% of schools and internet in 53.9% of schools, indicating that digital readiness remains substantially below universal coverage. The paper argues that a district strategy for digital equity should combine reliable connectivity, shared device access, teacher training, offline-capable content, school-cluster support and monitoring of actual classroom use. The study does not claim causal effects or represent all Giridih schools; rather, it provides a transparent evidence-based profile to guide further field research and local planning.},
      keywords = {Digital learning, digital readiness, urban-rural education divide, school infrastructure, educational equity, Giridih, Jharkhand},
      month = {August},
  }