Centre for Development Economics
Department of Economics
Delhi School of Economics
ANNOUNCE A SEMINAR
Digital Connectivity and Learning Outcomes in Rural India during COVID-19
by
(Ashoka University)
(Friday, April 24, 2026, at 3:15 PM IST )
Venue: LT (Lecture Theatre)
Abstract:-
We study how digital connectivity shapes rural children’s learning (ages 5–16) during COVID-19 school disruptions in India. While connectivity may facilitate remote instruction and feedback, it may also divert time toward entertainment. We combine learning outcomes from the Annual Status of Education Report (2018 and 2022), covering approximately 666,000 rural children, with district-level variation in the density of mobile cell towers. To explore mechanisms, we incorporate time-use data from the CMIE Consumer Pyramids Household Survey. Using a difference-in-differences design, we compare changes in standardized reading and math scores between 2018 and 2022 across districts with higher versus lower pre-pandemic cell tower density. Learning outcomes declined across all districts; however, the decline was significantly larger in high-density districts for both subjects, with effect sizes of approximately 0.05–0.07 standard deviations. Heterogeneity analyses reveal stronger negative effects for older children (ages 11–16), larger learning losses among girls, and more pronounced declines among government school students relative to those in private schools. Consistent with the proposed mechanism, we find suggestive evidence that higher cell tower density is associated with an approximately 14-minute decline in time spent on learning activities and a similar decline in outdoor activities, along with a 5-minute increase in time allocated per day to entertainment among children aged 12–16 years.