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The disruptive effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the education sector at an unprecedented scale. In order to contain the spread of the virus, a large number of countries across the globe have shut their schools to handle the pandemic. However, it has adversely affected students' learning and school attendance. In this regard, we assess the impact of COVID-19 on the learning loss, school dropout, and the economic costs in term of foregone earnings for children in Pakistan. The...

Key considerations when developing an ICT in  Education strategy (Helpdesk Response No. 43)

AlSheikh Theeb, T., Chuang, R., & Pandit, S. - 2022 - EdTech Hub

This report was commissioned by UNICEF and produced under UNICEF and EdTech Hub’s global partnership, in response to a request from the UNICEF Laos team that was submitted to the EdTech Hub Helpdesk. It presents key considerations on the overarching process to develop an ICT in Education strategy (e.g., components, stakeholders, timelines) and lists examples of other national ICT in Education and EdTech strategies. Keywords: EdTech strategies; ICT in Education strategies An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

Oculocutaneous albinism is an inherited condition with significant health and social impact on the lives of those affected throughout sub-Saharan, including in Malawi. Myths and superstitions surrounding the condition lead to stigmatisation, rejection and misconceptions. In a participatory study, consultations with educational professionals, children with albinism and their families documented the barriers to full educational access and revealed low-cost strategies that could be implemented...

Following elections in 1994, the Government of Malawi embarked on an ambitious programme of free primary education (FPE), resulting in a dramatic increase in enrolment. The paper argues that the policy did not sufficiently consider the ways in which direct and indirect costs of schooling continue to be prohibitive for some households, or the effects that the expansion would have on quality. The relevance of education for the majority of children who receive only a few years of primary...

As part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID funded Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support project, a sub-task was the piloting of an alternative technology that could be used for improving the quality and consistency of teacher continued professional development (CPD). The pilot, which included 26 open and distance learning (ODL) student teachers, was launched in the spring of 2011 using a low-cost portable MP3 multi-purpose device. A short course on...

Schools closed extensively during the COVID-19 pandemic and occur in other settings, such as teacher strikes and natural disasters. This paper provides some of the first experimental evidence on strategies to minimize learning loss when schools close. We run a randomized trial of low-technology interventions – SMS messages and phone calls – with parents to support their child. The combined treatment cost-effectively improves learning by 0.12 standard deviations. We develop remote assessment...

We evaluate a multifaceted policy intervention attempting to jump-start adolescent women's empowerment in Uganda by simultaneously providing them vocational training and information on sex, reproduction, and marriage. We find that four years postintervention, adolescent girls in treated communities are more likely to be self-employed. Teen pregnancy, early entry into marriage/cohabitation, and the share of girls reporting sex against their will fall sharply. The results highlight the...

Investigating the Impact of Content Repetition on Digital Personalised Learning Tools for Early Grade Learners (Evidence Brief No. 3)

Sun, C., Daltry, R., Major, L., & Friedberg, A. - 2025 - EdTech Hub

This is the third in a series of evidence briefs, reporting on four A/B/n tests which explore different features to enhance digital personalised learning (DPL) tools. This brief investigates the impact of repeating learning content for pre-primary learners on learner device usage and learning outcomes. The A/B test found that content repetition had an impact on literacy and numeracy outcomes for PP2 learners. PP2 learners’ usage of the DPL tool was significantly reduced with content...

Designing Digital Notifications to Support Teacher Uptake of Data Dashboards (Evidence Brief No. 4)

Sun, C., Daltry, R., Major, L., & Friedberg, A. - 2025 - EdTech Hub

This is the fourth in a series of evidence briefs, reporting on four A/B/n tests which explore different features to enhance digital personalised learning (DPL) tools. This brief investigates the extent to which the provision of notifications to pre-primary teachers to view data dashboards impacts learner device usage and learning outcomes. The A/B/C test found no impact on device usage and negligible impact on learning outcomes. This suggests that accompanying data dashboards with...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an analytical review of the educational innovation field in the USA. It outlines classification of innovations, discusses the hurdles to innovation, and offers ways to increase the scale and rate of innovation-based transformations in the education system. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a literature survey and author research. Findings US education badly needs effective innovations of scale that can help produce the needed...

We model learning losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for cost-effective strategies to build back better. Data from Early Grade Reading Assessments in Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, and Uganda suggest half to over a year’s worth of learning loss. In modeling losses over time, we found that learning deficits for a child in grade 3 could lead to 2.8 years of lost learning by grade 10. While COVID-19 has stymied learning, bold, learning-focused reform consistent with the...

Monitoring Distance Education: A Brief to Support Decision-Making in Bangladesh and Other Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries (Helpdesk Response No. 30)

Kaye, T., Groeneveld, C., & Bashir, A. - 2020 - EdTech Hub

This brief outlines a model for monitoring and evaluating distance learning based on a desktop review of interventions during the Covid-19 school closures and other previous school shutdowns. It then examines how this might be applied in the Bangladeshi context.

Country-Level Research Review: EdTech in Bangladesh [Country summaries and case studies (was: Country scan)]

Zubairi, A., Kreimeia, A., Kaye, T., & Ashlee, A. - 2021 - EdTech Hub

An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

Children in many extremely poor, remote regions are growing up illiterate and innumerate despite high reported school enrollment ratios. Possible explanations for such poor outcomes include demand – for example, low perceived returns to education compared to opportunity cost; and supply – poor state provision and inability of parents to coordinate and finance better schooling. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial in rural Guinea Bissau to understand the effectiveness and cost of concerted...

Voices and Evidence from End-Users of the GLTV and GLRRP Remote Learning Programme in Ghana: Insights for inclusive policy and programming [Technical Report]

Hodor, R., Owusu, E. A., Ofori-Davis, L., … Sefa-Nyarko, C. - 2021 - EdTech Hub

An output of the EdTech Hub, https://edtechhub.org

This note discusses early results from a distance education program on foundational numeracy for primary school students in Nepal during Coronavirus (COVID-19) evaluated in a randomized trial. The trial included 3,700 households with children in public school (grades 3-5). It provided support for foundational numeracy through mobile phone-based tutoring. The trial tested delivery through public school teachers and also through NGO facilitators. It led to a 30 percent increase in foundational...

Pakistan Distance-Learning Topic Brief: Primary-level Deaf Children (Helpdesk Response No. 16)

Lynch, P., Kaye, T., & Terlektsi, E. - 2020 - EdTech Hub

The Covid-19 crisis has severely impacted the ability of national education actors to provide access to education services for all students.This brief provides guidance and recommendations on how to support the education of deaf children in Pakistan using alternative learning approaches. It presents the rationale for adopting certain teaching and learning strategies when supporting the learning and well-being of deaf children during global uncertainty. Children with deafness and hearing loss...

Open content is typically digital content that allows broader use than traditionally printed or copyrighted content. Open content is freed up content, for instance through permissive licensing, such as Creative Commons. Open content includes open educational resources (OER), OpenCourseWare (OCW), open video, open access publications, as well as open data. It shares some similarity with open source software. Open content can have different freedoms, such as legal freedom, technological...