Abstract

This position paper investigates the multifaceted nature of digital inclusion within the Indian educational landscape through the lens of Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach. While the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) have accelerated infrastructure deployment, this study argues that access does not inherently result in inclusion. By analyzing recent data from NAS (2021), ASER (2022), and NSSO (2019), the paper identifies critical personal, social, and institutional conversion factors, such as linguistic hegemony, gendered digital autonomy, and caste-based spatiality, that prevent marginalized learners from converting digital resources into substantive educational agency. The findings suggest that a one-size-fits-all technological approach risks exacerbating the Matthew Effect, where cumulative advantage further privileges the elite. The paper concludes by proposing a Capability Model for Digital Inclusion that prioritizes decentralized infrastructure and pedagogical mediation to ensure that the digital revolution serves as a tool for genuine social mobility rather than a mechanism for social reproduction.