Current digital divide far too great to achieve Vision 2021

The government's plans for a 'Digital Bangladesh' by 2021 still seems far from fruition due to the disparity in access to information and communication technology (ICT) between low and high-income households, according to a study by the South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (Sanem).

Besides, there is also a significant digital divide between genders in the country, the organisation said in a statement.

The study styled, 'Dynamics of gender and youth inclusiveness in technology in Bangladesh', was released yesterday at a webinar jointly organised by Sanem and ActionAid Bangladesh.

Mahtab Uddin, a research fellow at Sanem and economics lecturer at the University of Dhaka, disclosed the findings of the study.

Only 50 per cent of urban households have access to the internet while the statistic is less than 30 per cent for homes in rural areas. However, just 10 per cent of the country's total female population have ever even used ICT services.

Moreover, in regards to internet speed, Bangladesh ranks 134th among 143 countries.

In his presentation, Uddin said that the government rightly adopted the Digital Bangladesh agenda in 2009. However, the fact that ICT tools have not become widely available across gender, age, region or income groups is a matter of concern.

A combined total of about 80 per cent of the male youth in rural and urban areas own smartphones while only 40 per cent of the country's females are afforded the same facility.

The study went on to detail that about 72 per cent of the young men in households belonging to the poorest income bracket own a smartphone compared with 92 per cent in the top income bracket.

Meanwhile, 24 per cent of the women in the lowest income bracket own the communication device as opposed to 73 per cent in the high-income bracket.

Therefore, it is evident that the disparity in access to ICT services among males and females in Bangladesh is 44 per cent in the poorest income decile and 19 per cent in the richest income decile.

The study pointed out three major aspects. First, the percentage of men that own smartphones is relatively the same across all wage categories.

Second, the number of young females from poor households that own a smartphone has remained the same at about 34 to 37 per cent across all age groups.

And third, irrespective of their average income, the number of young women that own smartphones is significantly low compared with their male counterparts.

These issues could be mitigated if there were a substantial supply of ICT-related education and training. However, it was observed that participation rates in training are extremely low. 

Also, a clear gender difference in participation is noteworthy as only 3 per cent of the female respondents to the survey said that they had engaged in ICT training compared with 5 per cent of males.

Bangladesh has about 71 technical training centres, 49 state-owned polytechnic institutes, 64 technical schools and colleges and 511 private polytechnic institutes that provide certified diploma courses on various trades.

The prevailing bias against women is an obstacle for the mass adaptation of modern technology among young women, said Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury, the deputy minister for education.

"If we do not develop our social values, the use of technology among females will not increase."

Thousands of general graduates from public universities are added to the labour market each year but it is not possible to find employment for each and every one of them.

Therefore, these graduated should undertake technical education to diversify their skills and find a place in the job market.

Chowdhury also said that most politicians have no clue when it comes to automation and modern technology.

This, in turn, acts as a barrier for the youth to adopting these technologies, as was the case between 2001 and 2006. But over the last decade or so, the use of ICT tools has grown exponentially, he added.

Vision 2041, which is a continuation of Vision 2021, cannot be attained without full utilisation of the country's demographic dividend, said Md. Ayatul Islam, joint secretary of the education ministry.

Enrolment in technical education has reached 18 per cent but the government has targeted to achieve 30 per cent penetration by 2030, he said.

The government has reserved 35 per cent of the allotted seats at public institutions for female students while stipends will be given to encourage their participation, he added.

Bangladesh will have the next 15 years to make the most out of its demographic dividend and so, the government must support young entrepreneurs, said Anir Chowdhury, policy adviser to the Prime Minister's Office's Access to Information programme. Female participation is also crucial for developing innovative research processes, he added.

While referencing the study, Chowdhury said the national unemployment rate is 4 per cent due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the graduate unemployment rate is about 39 per cent.

If the current crisis persists, as many as 5.5 million traditional jobs could be lost within the next 20 years.

However, this could be balanced out by increased employment opportunities in the ICT and the other related sectors, he said.

Just 12 years ago, there was a total of only 10 female entrepreneurs in all of Bangladesh, said Farhana Rahman, vice-president of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services.

Now though, the number of businesswomen in the country is increasing almost daily.

"This is a result of the Digital Bangladesh initiative," he said, adding that despite all the advancements, it is still difficult for women to secure bank loans for their businesses.

Students from poor households lack access to affordable online learning, said Selim Raihan, executive director of Sanem.

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, students have been forced to continue their lessons from home but the challenges faced in the process are varied among the economic classes.

Raihan also said that the government needs to step up its measures to ensure quality access to modern technology for a vast majority of the population.

Sayema Haque Bidisha, professor of economics at the University of Dhaka and research director of Sanem, moderated the webinar, where Sayed Ali, deputy secretary of the youth and sports ministry also spoke, among others.