Abstract

The rapid expansion of online education has significantly transformed the landscape of learning across the globe particularly in developing countries such as India. While digital platforms have made education more accessible and flexible their impact on social equality remains complex and multifaceted. This study examines how online education influences social equality by analyzing disparities in access digital literacy socio-economic background and institutional support systems. The paper argues that although online education has the potential to democratize knowledge and reduce traditional barriers such as geography and cost it simultaneously creates new forms of inequality rooted in the digital divide. The research adopts a qualitative and analytical approach drawing upon existing literature policy reports and socio-economic data to understand how marginalized groups experience online education differently from privileged sections. Special attention is given to rural-urban dispariti