1st Edition
Digital Inequalities in Media Education in South Asia Context and Consequences of the Covid-19 Pandemic
This study explores the media education systems in South Asia, looking not just at the heavy disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the long-standing digital inequalities and unequal socioeconomic opportunities that lead to reduced access to devices, technology and digital media.
With a focus on eight South Asian countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – the chapters examine the adoption of technology for pedagogical purposes during the pandemic, and the underlying socioeconomic reasons behind difficulties in implementing such rapid digital transformation in the region. The authors then consider how we can draw from the performance of South Asian media education institutions, already suffering from various digital divides, during the Covid-19 pandemic to apply these lessons to the broader academic community.
With contributions from an international team of authors, this book will interest students, scholars and policymakers around the world working in the areas of media literacy, education studies, digital media, global development and sociology.
1. Media Education in South Asia: Consequences of Digital Inequalities during the Pandemic
Padma Rani, Bhanu Bhakta Acharya, and Kulveen Trehan
Part 1: Critical and Comparative Analyses
2. Media Education During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review using AI Tools
Bhanu Bhakta Acharya
3. Media education in South Asia: Consequences of Digital Inequalities
Padma Rani
4. Media Education from Face-to-face to Online and Technology Acceptance in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: Critical Reflections
Kulveen Trehan
5. NEP-2020 and Covid-19 Pandemic: A Review of Sustainable Approaches in Contemporary Media Education in India
Ashwini Ramesh
Part 2: Country-Specific Studies
6. Evolution of Media Education in Afghanistan: Before, During, and After the Covid-19 Pandemic
Shugofa Dastgeer and Hamid Obaidi
7. Implementing Blended Learning Amidst the Pandemic: Insights from Post-Secondary Educators in Bangladesh
Nasrin Pervin and Tuj Jannat
8. Stealing the Dragon’s Thunder: Bhutanese Higher Education in the Times of Covid-19 Pandemic
Pallavi Majumdar
9. Student Perceptions of Online Learning and Evaluation: A Case Study of India during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Manjushree G Naik
10. Higher Education in Maldives Amidst the Pandemic: An Intersectional Approach to Digital Education
TK Krishnapriya
11. Impact of Digital Divides on Media Education in Nepal during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Educators’ Perspectives
Lekhnath Pandey and Umesh Pokharel
12. Revisiting Media Studies in Pakistan during the Pandemic: Insights from Iqbal’s Worldview
Bushra H. Rahman and Abida Ashraf
13. Digital Divide in Media Education in Sri Lanka: Context and Consequences of the Covid-19 Pandemic
Madhubhashini Rangika Rathnayaka
Part 3: Perspectives from Stakeholders
14. Pixels and Pedagogy: A Case Study of Experiential Learning by Media Students in Tamil Nadu During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Malini Srinivasan, Shamala Ramappa, Vasupradha Srikrishna, and Jishnu Dineshan
15. Disruptions as Pedagogical Opportunities: Best Practices of Media Education During the Covid19 Pandemic in India.
Shambhu Sahu and Geeta Kashyap
16. Practices and Innovative Approaches in Post-Secondary Media Education during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh
Md. Abdul Kabil Khan, Syeda Sadia Mehjabin, Maliha Tabassum, Sanjoy Basak Partha, and Ananda Kumar Biswas
17. Navigating the Perspectives of Media Educators During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Madhumita Das, Garima Mishra, and K.S. Arul Selvan
18. Digital Dividends and Disconnects in Indian Media Education during the Pandemic: Findings from the Project ROTL
Mira K. Desai
19. Silver Lining in the Dark Cloud: Media education in Sri Lankan Universities in Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic
K.G.L.A.N.S. Jayawardene
20. Review and Reflections
Bhanu Bhakta Acharya, Kulveen Trehan and Padma Rani
Biography
Padma Rani, PhD, is the Director and Professor at Manipal Institute of Communication, which is a part of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, India.
Kulveen Trehan, PhD, is a Senior Assistant Professor at the University School of Mass Communication, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, India
Bhanu Bhakta Acharya, PhD, is a teaching faculty of journalism, communication, and media studies at the University of Ottawa, Canada
"This book, expertly compiled and edited by Professors Padma Rani, Bhanu Acharya, and Kulveen Trehan, makes a crucial contribution to the debate about what exactly happens within and across different places, contexts and cultures when the digital environment becomes both a precarious as well a prerequisite factor for participation in society."
Mark Deuze, Professor, Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
"Timely and targeted, this collection of scholarly studies provides powerful arguments for enhancing media education and its growing relevance during medical emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic in South Asia, a region where it is sadly lacking and most needed."
Daya Thussu, Professor, Hong Kong Baptist University, President IAMCR
"This timely volume explores, with a critical lens, both the challenges faced and the responses mounted in the field of media education, in what is arguably the most diverse and variegated academic landscape in the world—South Asia. The chapters reflect the gamut of experiences in different education settings, and together provide a great starting point for scholars and students of media and communication education in the region as they attempt to make sense of teaching and learning in a post-pandemic world where these inequities persist."
Usha Raman, Professor, Department of Communication, University of Hyderabad, India
"Through empirical analysis and critical assessment, the book “Media Education in South Asia: Consequences of Digital Inequalities during the Pandemic” delves into the challenges faced by media education in the region amidst pre-existing digital disparities. It offers valuable insights into how institutions coped with the abrupt shift to virtual platforms, providing a compelling narrative for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders striving for a more inclusive and equitable learning environment."
Massimo Ragnedda, Associate Professor, Media and Communication at Sharjah University (UAE) and Northumbria University (UK), Honorary Professor, Lomonosov University.
"This book is a valuable disruption of the digital illusion that shows how the political economy of the digital divides during the Covid-19 pandemic affected media instructors and students in South Asian countries."
Mohammad Sahid Ullah, Professor, Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
"The forced movement of teaching and learning online during the Covid-19 pandemic marked a watershed moment for university education, reinforcing embedded institutional and individual inequalities in access to digital technologies and challenging traditional pedagogic practices. This timely volume collects research and testimony from eight South Asian societies to examine how teachers and students of media responded, identify instances of creative adaptation, and specify the essential conditions for maximising the positive uses of ICTs and blended learning. This essential collection is a must-read for anyone wishing to equalise and extend educational opportunities under contemporary conditions and the ever-present threat of the next pandemic."
Graham Murdock, Professor Emeritus of Culture and Economy, Loughborough University, U.K.
"The book comprehensively addresses three important dimensions of media education practice- the South Asian context, the impact of inequalities, and the consequences of the pandemic. I congratulate the editors for bringing together critical analysis, country-specific case studies, as well as stakeholder observations and for strongly featuring academic voices from the Global South who have firsthand witnessed and experienced these dimensions."
Manisha Pathak-Shelat, Chair, Centre for Development Management and Communication (CDMC) MICA, India
"This ground-breaking book critically examines the severe disruption of media education in South Asia during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting how entrenched digital inequalities hindered effective pedagogical transitions. By analyzing the experiences of students and educators across eight countries, it offers critical insights into the challenges and innovative responses that emerged. Essential reading for educators and policymakers, the book underscores the urgency of addressing digital divides to safeguard educational continuity in future crises."
Dorien Kartikawangi, Head, School of Communication, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia; Chair, ICA Indonesia Chapter
"From systemic reviews to country-specific narratives, Digital Inequalities in Media Education in South Asia captures the multifaceted impact of the pandemic on media education across South Asia. It stands as a testament to the resilience and adaptability of educators and students in the face of digital inequalities."
Glenn Muschert, Professor, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE
"This compilation of South Asian perspectives, presented by scholars from the region, provides profound insights into a global phenomenon: the digital divide. The causes and effects of the major pedagogical shift in media education induced by mobility restrictions during the Covid-19 outbreak are analyzed based on empirical study. I found the book to be instrumental, especially for students of media studies and anyone interested in the subject matter."
Kundan Aryal, PhD., Associate Professor, Central Department of Journalism & Mass Communication, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
