Higher Education in Maldives amidst the Pandemic: An Intersectional Approach to Digital Education
description: The Covid-19 outbreak upended the core foundations of societies across the globe, leading to dramatic shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and values. The education sector, known for its traditional classroom model, had to adapt quickly. However, the pandemic's impact varied widely due to social, cultural, economic, geographic, and gender factors. Amid such inequal pandemic disruptions, Maldives presents a unique case as an upper-middle-income economy with diverse higher education (HE) opportunities. The pandemic pushed Maldives towards digital education, capitalizing on pre-existing capabilities. The study employs an intersectional feminist approach to the gender digital divide, seeking to understand how the rapid adoption of digital education in Maldives' higher education institutions (HEIs) has unfolded during the pandemic. The analysis reveals deeply entrenched gender norms that have had a disproportionate impact on women students and lecturers in HEIs. Factors like unpaid domestic labour and care work, lack of suitable home space, absence of psychological support, and reinforcement of gender roles have primarily widened the gender digital divide in digital education during the pandemic. Moreover, local, social, and cultural attitudes further exacerbate this divide signifying a pressing need to re-evaluate women's roles in HEIs in the post-pandemic world. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Padma Rani, Bhanu Bhakta.
creator: Krishnapriya, T.K.
source: Digital Inequalities in Media Education in South Asia;pp.166-176
publisher: Taylor and Francis
date: 01-01-2025
rights: Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
relation: ISBN: 978-104027360-9; 978-103255752-6;
language: English
type: Book chapter
coverage: Krishnapriya T.K., Department of Media Studies, Christ University, Bangalore, India