Impact of Access to Education and Technology during COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, India

Economic recessions and pandemics like COVID-19 typically leave behind a degree of economic scarring and slower growth in subsequent years. Without immediate remedial action, drop-out rate of girls from schools continue to rise making way for early marriages, sexual exploitation, and domestic violence. In this article we review access to education and technology during COVID in Uttar Pradesh to address the following questions – what were the challenges in equal access to education and technology in Uttar Pradesh during the COVID-19 pandemic? How does education during a pandemic affect learning and continuity in education for children? To answer these questions, we address the issues that contributed to greater uncertainties regarding equal access to education and technology during the pandemic. We bring out the focus group discussions with head teachers, schoolteachers and students (mostly girls) aged between 12-17 years in rural and urban areas in Uttar Pradesh to suggest possible remedial actions to improve access to education and technology and to raise awareness of potential challenges facing students and teachers in Uttar Pradesh.