The digital divide in India: use and non-use of ICT by rural and urban students

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to know the frequency, place, and purpose of use of computer. It also aimed to know the various problems faced by the students in using the computer and to know the reasons for not using computer by rural and urban students. Design/methodology/approach A total of the 2,592 sample population were selected from 64 rural and urban high schools of two districts of Karnataka state. A structured questionnaire was used for the data collection and data have been analyzed using Software Package for Social Science. Statistical tests, namely, (2) and one-way ANOVA were applied to test the formulated hypotheses. Findings The results of the study showed that only 20.66 percent rural students and 69.70 percent of urban students used computer for various academic purposes. Further, most of the rural and urban students opined that electric power failure and lack of computer skills were major problem in using computer. Originality/value Today, the computer education in schools plays an important role in student's career development and enhances the quality of learning among students. Thus, the local government/school authorities may provide the minimum ICT infrastructure in both schools and more particularly in rural schools.