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Technology can help innovate education systems and plays an important role in solving the problem of quality by transforming ineffective pedagogical methods and updating outdated teaching tools in the classroom, as well as by improving education management processes at a scale. The pandemic has shown that the incorporation of technology in education is inevitable and urgent, not only to meet the demands of the new model of remote education, or a future hybrid system, but also to improve the quality of teaching and the effectiveness of education systems in the long term.
The gradual reopening of schools will highlight the deepening of the inequities that already existed in the region’s education systems, which have worsened in the last year, and the urgent need to invest in improving the quality of education through the proper use of technologies.
In this report, the members of the Working Group on Technology and Innovation in Education call on education authorities, teachers and principals, organized civil society, businesses, and the education community as a whole, to continue investing in the innovative efforts that have been observed during this difficult period and to turn them into transformative, long-term strategies.
As a result of their work over a period of more than two years, the group identifies five key and cross-cutting issues to be resolved, in order to facilitate the effective incorporation of new technologies in the region’s education systems:
- Ensure access to high-quality, permanent, and affordable connectivity in all schools, homes, and communities.
- Involve teachers and principals in the planning and implementation of technological strategies in education and invest in their initial and continuous training in analytical, technological, and communication skills.
- Promote bold leadership that defines a strategic vision for technological innovation in education as well as a long-term financing strategy, and also coordinates the involvement of all key actors in the education ecosystem.
- Foster partnerships with the private sector in order to accelerate quality technological transformation and enhance the technical and financial capacity of governments.
- Invest in technology to modernize and improve educational management processes.
The Education Program thanks AT&T Foundation, Discovery Education, Coursera, Facebook, Microsoft, Imaginable Futures, Pearson, SBA Communications Corporation, and Viasat for their generous support in the making of this report.
