Published Paper Details:

COVID-19 has been identified as the greatest threat of all times to the humankind. It has affected health, economy, trade, political relations, social customs and cultural practices all around the world. However, the worst impact of the pandemic was felt on the institution of education and, especially, among the children of the indigenous communities. Due to the epidemic, tribal children were forced to drop out and some of them never returned even after the reopening of schools. New methods of e-learning were designed to help the children continue with their academic activities and other curricular interests. But, the school closures and its shift to digital platforms exposed the digital deprivation and the resultant divide that existed among the tribal students. The present paper proposes to study the impact of the pandemic on the educational system of the country and among the children of the tribal communities. The paper is based on a primary study made among the tribal students of Mayurbhanj, Odisha and attempts to find out the reasons responsible for the digital divide and suggest measures to overcome the digital deficiencies.