The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of human endeavour and none more so than education. As many countries attempt to come out of the lockdown imposed as a necessity by the pandemic, it is clear that “business as usual” will no longer be a tenable proposition. In fact, many versions of the “new normal” are being tried, experimented, and disseminated as the world slowly re-emerges, and education is leading the pack in defining the new normal. Nonetheless, there is no single solution that will be applicable around the globe and never has the digital divide been so starkly visible as now.

Most of the suggested approaches to providing education in this time of crisis have centered around the use of technology. The Internet is the overwhelming choice for the transport of content while the actual delivery has been achieved using all flavours of learning management systems, custom developed platforms and standalone applications. A close second has been the use of cellular networks coupled with smartphones that allow for a rich multimedia experience. In both cases, however, countries with lesser developed infrastructure or poor economic conditions, have faced the difficult choice of having their populations divided into the “haves” and “have-nots.”