Ed-tech: Global South Priorities for Equity and Inclusion
About the project
While technology is here to stay, it is still unclear how to realise the promises it holds for education in Global South countries. The question of how to improve results with educational technology (Ed-tech)—particularly learning—while reducing inequalities among student groups remains a critical policy challenge.
This project delves into the state of Ed-tech across low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Three regional studies discuss the state of Ed-tech in primary and secondary schools in each region, while the global report highlights knowledge gaps that ought to be addressed to promote equitable and inclusive learning in future Ed-tech initiatives. You can access the synthesis document of the entire project here.
ARTICLES
Education technology in the Global South: From Access to Impact
Education technology (ed-tech) is often seen as a shortcut to overcome long- standing educational challenges. This is an illusion. Despite promising evidence, rarely deployed at scale, it is crucial to recognize that the mere presence of technology does not guarantee improved learning outcomes. As highlighted in the Southern Voice report Ed-tech in the Global South: Research Gaps and Opportunities, effective technology use requires addressing pedagogical issues, inequalities, governance, and a series of policy challenges. Deploying policies that hinge solely on technology as the answer to education issues often results in suboptimal levels, negatively impacting more vulnerable communities. Challenges in the Global South Even after witnessing the most ed-tech-intensive years during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have learned that implementing ed-tech solutions in the Global South presents numerous challenges for educators and policymakers alike. Access to technology is a long-standing roadblock for many. Schools lack basic infrastructure, such as reliable electricity, [...]
Education Technology Research Needed in Low-Income Countries
The release of the report Ed-tech in the Global South: Research Gaps and Opportunities is a commendable effort in our ongoing commitment to creating equitable and inclusive education systems. At a time when the percentage of children in low- and middle-income countries who cannot read and comprehend a simple sentence rose from 57% in 2019 to 70% in 2021, this report identifies key research areas that need attention to tackle the global learning crisis. While there has been an upsurge in interest in ed-tech since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the absence of meaningful empirical evidence to inform ed-tech initiatives has been widely noticeable. The UNESCO's GEM Report (2023) points to the insufficient evidence about the added value of ed-tech for learning and underlines that available research primarily comes from developed countries. This report invites questions regarding which type of ed-tech best addresses Global South countries' diverse social, [...]
Critical Issues of Education Technology in and with Low- and Middle-income Countries
The report explores technology as one possible route to support education and inclusion.
The Conundrums of technology-enabled Learning: three Challenges to advance in Latin America
Reflections on three aspects that hold the region back from leveraging the potential of digital technologies in education.
Narrowing the Digital Divide in Tanzania to tackle educational Inequalities
In this digital transformation era, the government should digitalize the education sector by investing more in EdTech to scale up digital learning applications, especially in public primary schools.
