Digital Divide And Equity In Education: A Rawlsian Analysis

In his magnum opus, "A Theory of Justice" (1971), John Rawls, one of the most influential American philosophers of the twentieth century, emphasizes two principles of justice, one that ensures equal liberties and the second equal opportunity for all irrespective of their status. The most important part of the second principle known as the "difference principle" addresses social inequity by recommending institutional support for the under-privileged segment of the society. These principles of justice serve as guidelines for political institutions to ensure equality of basic political and civil rights and equity in the social and economic conditions. To facilitate equity, Rawls places significant emphasis on the formal notion of "justice" over its substantive notion which is "fairness. " If fairness could be achieved in the process of institutionalising justice in any socio-political system then it would reach the position of "reflective equilibrium " which is an ideal condition for any just system. This paper would attempt to apply the Rawlsian principles of justice in the context of the emerging inequitable situation in the education sector and web based education in India. The emerging issue of "digital divide" widens the disparity among the society in education and economic sectors. The burgeoning fields of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the scope of ICT in education at various levels create a complex situation, when resources and opportunities remain inaccessible to the poor. Inequity due to digital divide assumes significance and requires urgent attention of the policy makers, administrators and community as the Indian government has been actively implementing massive schemes in education and rural development, to ensure accessibility, availability and affordability of education and economic opportunities to all citizens of the country. The paper analyses how accessibility to web based learning enhances opportunities for the educated sector and its inaccessibility implies "injustice" to the deprived sector of the society. The efforts of the government to bridge the digital divide could lead to a rapid improvement in the social, political and economic conditions of the poor and underprivileged strata in India. In this paper, the efforts of the Indian government to bridge the digital divide are highlighted and effective measures to tackle inequity due to the digital divide are suggested.