Education for the Most Marginalised Post-COVID-19: Guidance for Governments on the Use of Digital Technologies in Education

"...sees COVID-19 and the lessons learnt from its impact on education systems, as providing a rare opportunity to rethink holistically and systemically how digital technologies should be used to create resilient educational systems."

School closures brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have had a dramatic impact on both the practical and the perceived use of digital technologies for education, but in different ways in varying contexts. That is, the COVID-19 digital response has shown the potential of educational technologies while highlighting (and in some cases exacerbating) educational inequities and marginalisation. This report and associated guidance notes provide recommendations for governments, including those in less-well-resourced contexts, about how to use digital technologies to deliver education systems that enable everyone to have access to equitable learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Building on a series of regional and sectoral consultations with education experts, it was developed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in ICT4D  [information and communication technology for development] with support from the EdTech Hub.

Marginalisation can be described as the process through which people are excluded from access to resources and opportunities, such as through differential access to and participation in education systems. In this context, there are 7 groups of people who are particularly susceptible to processes of marginalisation: out-of-school youth; learners with disabilities; girls and women; refugees and displaced persons; learners in isolated areas; ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples; and learners in informal or irregular employment.

This report contains 3 separate documents ("Acts"), each of which can be read and used independently:

• Act One is intended primarily for senior government officials and contains a summary of the report's approach and main recommendations, including:
  • Put digital technologies into schools only after ensuring that a sufficient number of teachers have been trained in how to use them effectively to enhance learning outcomes.
  • Rather than conducting pilot projects using digital technologies for education where they are easiest to do and are most likely to succeed, do so with and amongst the economically poorest and most marginalised, where the circumstances are most challenging, and where most innovation and creativity is required.
• Act Two provides the detailed exposition, arguments and evidence upon which these recommendations are based, and is intended primarily for those in government who are charged with implementing them. It is divided into 3 main sections:
  • Part 1 summarises the context within which digital technologies can be used to deliver appropriate educational goals, focusing on the needs of economically poor and marginalised people living in low- and middle-income countries in a post-COVID-19 world.
  • Part 2 examines 5 interrelated areas through which governments' strategies and implementation processes should be delivered:
    • Create a whole-society approach that delivers equity in education: This not only means sharing resources more efficiently but also enhances a stronger sense of community and greater realisation of the need for continuous learning throughout the life-cycle.
    • Enable access for all to digital technologies by providing resilient infrastructures for learning, funded by central government rather than ministries of education. Governments should consider what technologies it is feasible to use (e.g., "old" technologies such as radio and TV), while continuing to make alternative (e.g., paper-based) educational resources and content available to ensure that everyone can have access to basic learning opportunities.
    • Be context-specific at all times, especially in terms of the technologies used in education and the content crafted for learners: Governments should draw on concrete examples to craft the most appropriate uses of relevant digital technologies for their own social, cultural, political, and economic context.
    • Ensure that appropriate pedagogies are used in the practices of teaching and learning by prioritising relevant in-service and pre-service teacher training that focuses on enabling teachers and learning facilitators of all kinds to use digital technologies to enhance their own learning and thereby improve the quality of their teaching.
    • Use digital technologies wisely and safely: Increased levels of digital connectivity and use during the pandemic have translated into increases in harms and have highlighted issues surrounding privacy and the use, or abuse, of personal data. Governments must ensure that the potential harms of using digital technologies in education and learning are mitigated, especially among the most vulnerable.
  • Part 3 addresses the financing of the recommendations and the next steps that governments can take to deliver more effective education systems.
• Act Three contains 14 guidance notes that are meant to provide succinct advice on delivering distinct aspects of the overall report. They include:
  1. In the Local Context - Using Digital Technologies to Develop Local Content
  2. Sharing Open Educational Resources (OER) with Creative Commons (CC) Open Licenses
  3. Digital Technologies and Girls' Education
  4. Inclusion and Accessible Learning for People with Disabilities
  5. Supporting the Effective Use of Digital Technologies for Learning by Refugees and Displaced Persons
  6. Digital Technologies and Education in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
  7. Ensuring Resilient Connectivity
  8. Resilient and Sustainable Energy Solutions
  9. Involving Marginalised Young People in the Design of Their Own Education
  10. Prioritising Effective and Appropriate Teacher Training
  11. Using Digital Technologies Effectively in Support of Learning and Training for Employment
  12. Ensuring Rigorous Monitoring and Evaluation of Initiatives Using Digital Technologies for the Most Marginalised
  13. Ensuring that Children Are Safe when Using Digital Technologies for Learning
  14. Partnerships with the Private Sector and Civil Society
• Annex: Infographics

The full report (Act Two) closes with a selection of reflections by members of the core team and advisors on the impact COVID-19 has had on their own thoughts about how the world's economically poorest and most marginalised can use digital technologies to enhance their learning outcomes, and thus their future life experiences.