Paper Details

Name: Vishakha Kamal
Country: India

Year: 2025
Volume: Vol-12, issue-2, (July-December)
Page Number: 147-159
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22767734

ABSTRACT
Digital education has become an important component of higher education in India, but the expansion of online and blended learning does not automatically produce equal educational opportunities. This study examines the relationship between digital education access and social inequality among university students in Uttar Pradesh. A quantitative cross-sectional design is presented using an illustrative sample of 200 students drawn across urban and rural locations and government/public and private institutions. A Digital Education Index was constructed from device adequacy, internet reliability, digital skills, learning-platform access and academic support. Descriptive statistics, sector-wise comparisons, chi-square testing, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA and correlation analysis were used. The illustrative results show a clear urban-rural gap, with urban students reporting substantially stronger digital readiness than rural students. Private-institution students also show higher average readiness than students in government/public institutions, while household income is positively associated with digital readiness. The findings support the view that digital inequality is multidimensional, extending beyond device ownership to affordability, connectivity, skills, learning conditions and institutional support. The paper links these findings to Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Theory and argues that digital inclusion should be treated as a shared responsibility involving universities, government, technology firms, telecom providers, civil society and communities. The study proposes targeted digital scholarships, device-access programmes, community learning hubs, accessible content, digital-skills training and outcome-based CSR partnerships for Uttar Pradesh.

Keywords: digital education; social inequality; digital divide; higher education; Uttar Pradesh; CSR; stakeholder theory; digital inclusion