There is a global learning and skill shortage that has been going on for a long time. Over half of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read and understand an age-appropriate text, and 87 percent of them are in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the UNESCO UIS, 251 million children and adolescents were out of school in 2024, and 468 million lived in a conflict zone in 2023. Two thirds of school age children (approx. 1.3 billion globally) do not have access to the internet at home. In a labor market that is constantly changing, skill gaps are becoming more and more apparent.
At the same time, education is being transformed by digital technologies at an unprecedented rate and scale. The possibilities of using digital solutions to enhance teaching and learning, and to revolutionise educational processes are attractive. At the same time, the related systemic investment needs are substantial, evidence of effectiveness is scarce, and risks abound. Policymakers face formidable, multi-faceted opportunities and challenges in designing and implementing digitally enabled education services at scale.
In this state of play, how can countries leverage digital solutions to build equitable, relevant, and resilient education systems with a positive impact on learning outcomes?
What can policymakers do to leverage digital solutions for better learning outcomes?
Keep a steady focus on the vision of providing equitable, relevant, and resilient learning for all.
Recognise that each country’s unique contextual conditions and vision for its economy and society will drive its digital pathways for education and skills development.
Play a strategic and hands-on role in shaping evidence-based policies that drive the integration of digital technologies in education.
Recognize and support the role of teachers as cultivators, coaches and critical pedagogues to help students build the 21st century skills required to survive and thrive in the digital era
Tailor digital pathways – deliberately consider and fine-tune strategies and policies which address the diverse and dynamic needs within each specific country context.
When making decisions about digital investments, consider the inherent trade-offs in advance. Potential Digital Pathways for Equitable Relevant and Resilient Education Systems
Figure 1: Potential Digital Pathways for Equitable, Relevant and Resilient Education Systems
How can countries make a digital transition in education?
Policymakers, the private sector, civil society, and academia can use the following architecture as a framework to think through their country’s digital transition in education and define their unique trajectory.
Digital pathways in education and skill development can be seen as the interaction of two dimensions: (1) the depth of digital transitions, or the degree to which public policy efforts take a systemic approach to strategic governance, infrastructure, policy design, and implementation at the government level; and (2) the scale of digital transitions, or the degree to which digital transitions are supported by strong private markets, research and innovation ecosystems, and learning-centered private markets.
