If the future is digital, are rural youth learning digital skills early enough?

What the report says

An opinion article published by Watchdog Uganda argues that Uganda’s rural learners are being left behind in the shift toward artificial intelligence, digital services and technology-driven work. The writer, identified in additional publication by The Independent Uganda as Fatumah Birungi, uses a personal experience of first needing digital skills while applying for higher education abroad to illustrate how late exposure to technology can limit rural youth.

The article says digital exclusion often begins in school, where computer access, internet connectivity and trained teachers remain inadequate. It cites a UNICEF digital readiness assessment of secondary schools, conducted with the Mastercard Foundation, finding that about 80% of schools reported having computer laboratories, but with an average of one digital device for every 63 students. The same assessment is cited as saying 39% of secondary schools are off-grid and 41% face unreliable electricity. The article also refers to a separate study in rural northern Uganda that found more than 17,500 primary schools remain offline.

The commentary calls for digital literacy to become a core subject from primary school and to continue as compulsory learning through secondary education. Suggested foundational areas include basic computer use, typing, digital safety, internet navigation, information literacy and responsible technology use, with later progression into content creation and other intermediate skills.

The piece says government, development partners, schools and private-sector actors share responsibility for closing the gap. It notes that organizations such as Mastercard Foundation, Outbox, Refactory Academy, Women in Technology Uganda, Enabel and the World Bank already support advanced digital skills, but argues rural youth may struggle to benefit unless basic skills are built much earlier.