THE EMERGENCE OF TECH SOLUTIONS TO SUPPORT DIGITAL AND REMOTE LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
COVID-19 has impacted every facet of society, including the education sector. Across the world, the use of technology to facilitate learning has increased as digital learning spaces emerged in response to school closures during the pandemic. However, the pandemic has revealed the extent of the digital divide and exacerbated inequalities in education within countries and between regions of the world. In sub-Saharan Africa, “only 30% of the poorest households have a radio while 79% of the richest do. The gap is also evident in the ownership of TVs (4% of poor households own one vs. 82% of rich ones), computers (less than 1% for poor households vs. 25% for richest), internet (0.3% in poor vs. 22% in rich), and mobile phones (46% ownership in poor households vs. 97% in rich ones).”
Benefits of Technology for Children’s Education
Technology can significantly impact the educational experience of children. Beyond or alongside the traditional learning environment, incorporating technology into children’s education provides a unique opportunity for them to access and engage with information in a more interactive way. In today’s increasingly globalized world, digital learning allows children to connect with their peers in different sociocultural settings thus improving their ability to become more culturally sensitive communicators. Exposure to technology and digital learning tools also ensures that children can acquire the digital skills necessary to compete for the jobs of the future. Technology improves language skills, increases capacity for visual attention, develops problem solving skills, expands horizons and motivates children to complete tasks.
Tech Solutions Developed to Support Learning in Developing Countries
In recent years, there has been an upsurge of different tech solutions like, Worldreader, Sema, Bookshare, Bloom, KitKit School, World Around You, to support learning for children in developing countries. In Bangladesh (South Asia), with the support of UNICEF, the state owned television began broadcasting educational content for students from grades 6 to 10. The program ‘My School at My Home’, airs daily for 3 hours and can also be accessed on YouTube. In Ethiopia (East Africa), the government uses radio broadcasts for primary schools and digital technology for secondary and tertiary institutions. In Nigeria (West Africa), the government has set up a task team to coordinate support to school children. The team has shared online resources such as the WAEC e-learning portal to support students to prepare for their university entrance examinations, and the Mobile Classroom App and School Gate allow children in primary school to access free educational content. In Syrian refugee camps (Middle East), Feed the Monster app is used to support refugee children to improve their literacy skills and promote their psychosocial wellbeing. The app teaches children reading and writing essentials, and records their performance and growth with their educators.
Educational Technology and COVID-19
About 1.2 billion children in 186 countries were affected by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced governments, schools and parents to seek alternatives to in-classroom learning. Several tech solutions like language apps, virtual tutoring, video conferencing tools, radio as well as online learning software have ensured that children who have access to technology and the internet can continue learning. But what happens to the millions of children that lack access to these resources?
The Role of Government and Private Sector in Ensuring Continued Growth and Adoption of Technology for Learning
Right now, alongside managing the reopening of economies that were forced to slow down or shut down due to the pandemic, many countries are grappling with how best to reopen schools and ensure continuity of learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed inequalities in access to technology. There is an opportunity for governments and the private sector to work together to close the digital divide by increasing the funding available for technology for education. Mobile phones, print materials, internet, radio and tv should be made available to all school-age children, particularly those in resource-poor communities to ensure continuous learning. Also, teachers should be empowered with the resources and knowledge needed to guide their students to effectively use the available edtech solutions. Parents and guardians should be encouraged to participate actively in the development of new digital learning spaces to enable them to provide proper supervision to their children to learn effectively at home or remotely. Remote school enrollment and attendance should be monitored to address barriers to education.
The role of technology in powering the global economy is gaining prominence. Thus, the incorporation and promotion of technology into the education sector should be higher on the development agenda of governments around the world. STEM should become an integral part of the educational curriculum, particularly in developing countries that currently lag behind in this regard. The government should work hand in hand with key partners in the private sector to ensure increased access to and affordability of the technology needed to facilitate digital learning. In this way, we can increase the likelihood that more children will embrace innovation and be fully prepared to become competitive global citizens.
“Technology will never replace great teachers, but in the hands of great teachers, it’s transformational.” –George Couros