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Omprakash Yadav
Independent Researcher
Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract
Digital equity—the fair and just access to information and communication technologies (ICT)—is critical for empowering first‑generation learners in India’s Tier‑3 cities. Despite national strides in ICT deployment under the Digital India initiative, entrenched socio‑economic disparities, infrastructural deficits, and limited digital literacy continue to marginalize students whose parents have not attained higher education. This study provides a comprehensive mixed‑methods investigation of digital equity among first‑generation learners across four Tier‑3 cities—Amravati, Kolhapur, Ajmer, and Bareilly. Surveying 400 students and conducting 40 in‑depth interviews, we examine not only hardware and connectivity metrics (where only 54% have stable home internet and 48% possess personal devices) but also learners’ self‑efficacy, strategic digital skills, and emotional responses to online learning. Our regression analysis identifies household income, parental education, regional language proficiency, and school type as significant predictors of digital readiness (p < .01). Qualitative themes reveal that exorbitant data costs force students to ration online study time, that a paucity of vernacular e‑content undermines comprehension, and that parents’ unfamiliarity with ICT limits supportive home environments. Additionally, peer‑led digital clubs and community‑based workshops emerge as effective grassroots interventions. Building on these insights, we propose a multi‑stakeholder framework combining subsidized broadband schemes, localized e‑learning resources, school‑anchored mentorship programs, and digital‑literacy curricula tailored to first‑generation contexts. By foregrounding both structural barriers and learner‑centered enablers, this research advances theoretical models of the digital divide and offers actionable policy prescriptions aimed at fostering inclusive educational ecosystems in India’s emerging urban peripheries.
Keywords
Digital equity; first‑generation learners; Tier‑3 cities; digital literacy; educational inclusion
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