INEQUALITY DURING ONLINE LEARNING

Imagine living in a low-income family where there are limited to no devices available, no private rooms, and no access to the internet. What you are imagining right now might as well be the reality for most students out there.

Online school has become very necessary during the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, students have different and new needs than previously. From only needing transportation, books, and stationeries, students now need good quality devices, a stable internet connection, and of course, a comfortable learning area.

But what if not every student has access to what they need? Reading this, you might be lucky enough to have everything you need at home. However, according to UNICEF, two-thirds or 1.3 billion of school-age children don’t have access to an internet connection.

When there is no way for students to attend online school they have no way to study. They miss out on important and crucial learning. Teachers also don’t have any ways to reach students since students don’t have access to needed devices or the internet.

While students are unable to learn, parents might also find it hard to have good earnings throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. When parents live in a low-income family, they might also be unable to be productive in their job. Just like students, they won’t have all the things they need to do their job and earn a living.

While this is already a problem, it gets worse when you think about the fact that not only do they have to provide for the family, they also need to purchase expensive devices in order for their children to study.

All of this adds up to the reality of how online school is unfortunately not accessible for everyone. Although some students find it easy to join a meeting with their classmates and teachers, most students don’t have that needed privilege. Education is a basic human right and that is how it should be. However, this basic human right is still hardly achieved to this day.

---

AUTHOR:

Hi, I'm Giov!

(She/her)

My full name is Giovanni Elvina Suthiana. I'm from Jakarta, Indonesia. I'm 15 years old and in 9th grade.

My hobbies include reading and writing. As a kid, I would write short stories for fun. I speak two languages, Indonesian and English. I'm also learning French. Aside from that, I love fashion, music, and animals. I like working in a team and listening to others' opinions. At school, I love writing essays and researching.

I have always been passionate about inclusivity and equality. By joining Teens We Care, I hope I can share my writing and make new friends in the process. I'm very excited to learn new ways to write and improve my soft skills through this opportunity. I believe as teenagers, we can make a difference together.