Eight-year-old Akena wakes up early in his rural village in Oyam District in Northern Uganda. After helping his mother fetch water from a distant borehole, he walks several kilometers to his primary school. The school is a modest structure with cracked walls and a dusty chalkboard. While children in urban areas of Uganda access online learning materials, Akena’s lessons are limited to what the teacher can explain verbally or write on the board. His dreams of becoming a doctor feel distant and unattainable, not because of a lack of talent or ambition, but because he is disconnected by default.
A Crisis of Access
In an age where technology shapes how we learn, work, and connect, children like Akena face significant disadvantages. Many schools in Northern Uganda lack basic digital infrastructure like computers and reliable internet connectivity.
According to the 2024 national census data, only two per cent of people living in rural areas of Uganda had ever had access to a computer. The percentage of Internet users among persons aged 10 and above in the Lango sub-region where Akena hails from is only 3.8% — the second lowest in the country.
With resources already being scarce in these communities, the digital divide is even more pronounced and students are missing out on opportunities their peers in urban areas take for granted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, most schools in Northern Uganda were unable to pivot to online learning. While urban students attended virtual classes and accessed digital resources, their rural counterparts faced almost two years of educational stagnation as Uganda went on record for having the world’s longest national school closure. This disparity widened existing educational gaps and left many school-going children struggling to catch up.
Why It Matters
The digital divide is not just about technology — it is about equity. Education is a fundamental right, and technology has become a critical enabler of that right. When children in Northern Uganda are left offline, they are excluded from a world of possibilities that could lift them out of poverty and into self-reliance.
Northern Uganda has a young population brimming with potential, but still has the highest percentage of youth not in employment, education or training. This exclusion also has broader implications for the region.
Without access to the tools needed to compete in a digital-first world, this potential remains untapped. The digital divide perpetuates cycles of poverty, limits innovation and slows down progress toward development.
A Call to Action
As we mark International Day of Education, it is a reminder of the power of learning to transform lives and communities. Collective effort is needed to ensure every one has the opportunity to learn and grow in a digital world.
The hidden cost of the digital divide is the loss of potential — of bright futures left unrealized. It is a cost we cannot afford to bear.
Millions of young learners like Akena should no longer dream of a connected world from the sidelines but become active participants in shaping it.
There is hope and possibility for this future.