THE SPECTRUM
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
Bridging The Economic Gap Through Digital Literacy by
Megan Low and Medina Rahma Putri
This proposal aims to provide the EU body with potential solutions to improve digital literacy at the secondary school level. As we move towards a more digital world, obtaining a good education and good job prospects relies heavily on one’s proficiency in information and communication technologies (ICT). We must ensure that the less fortunate are not left behind. With Covid-19 expediting this transition process, it has exposed the urgency for the EU to step in and prevent less privileged students from falling further behind. Working within the broad framework the EU has established to support digital education between 2021-2027, we propose specific policy recommendations for schools in low-income neighbourhoods within European Union country members. BACKGROUND With the rapid expansion of the e-commerce market and the shift from face-to-face to remote learning and working, digital literacy is an imperative skill every student in the EU should be equipped with to ensure he or she has the best opportunities when entering the future labour market.1 The World Economic Forum has warned governments that global inequality is going to worsen unless effective policies are implemented to protect the vulnerable in society from being left behind in a rapidly digitizing global economy.2 The Global Risks Perception Survey echoes these fears, ranking digital inequality as one of the top ten critical threats to growing economic inequality in the next five years.3 It is thus imperative for governments to focus on equipping students today with the tools needed to be digitally proficient. A review of the EU’s Digital Education Action Plan in 2019 indicates that at the secondary school level: 79% of EU students have never been exposed to digital skills such as programming or computing, less than 40% of educators felt equipped to use digital tools and only 20% of EU schools have access to high-speed internet.4 As schools around the world close their doors during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has forced students and educators to rely heavily on digital tools and technology in order to facilitate a continuation of school curriculum online. The World Bank predicts that Covid-19 could lead to a permanent loss in learning due to ineffective online learning tools.5 The economic impact is expected to translate to approximately a $16,000 loss in income over a student’s lifetime and $10 trillion in the global economy”.6 With the events of the pandemic expediting the need to digitalize, the EU plays a vital role in ensuring that no one is robbed of a good education or future because of their lack of digital proficiency.
JUSTIFICATIONS Experts have observed the correlation between educational attainment and job opportunities. A ‘wage-boosting’ skill development is obtained from the education an individual receives at the secondary school level or higher.7 The effects of educational attainment towards job prospects extends to the issue of economic inequality. Data from EU countries has shown the significant influence of education inequality towards income inequality, with the EU labour market being responsive towards qualifications of individuals.8 Technological progress allows education to be easily accessible via digital platforms. Having digital platforms could be an efficient solution in equalising education.9 Online education allows for direct interaction with peers around the globe, allowing better learning experience, reducing education inequality, and accommodating education accessibility.10 However, the link between reducing economic inequality with online education remains weak. Online learning has made education equally accessible for individuals with access to the technology.11 Concerns of education inequality in virtual learning experience have come to light since 2016; implying that online education platforms do not necessarily solve the issue of education inequality, and in the long run, economic inequality.12 The drastic shift to online platforms during the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the concerns mentioned previously to be true. Online learning is proven to be a weak alternative compared to in-person teaching.13 Some schools are not prepared for this transition, causing weak education quality. Additionally, poorer children are more likely to perform weaker
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