Ed-Tech landscape and challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean

• In Event: Activism, Education, and Technology: Empowering Women and Youth in Latin America

Proposal

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unimagined educational challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), where improvements in learning outcomes were already stagnant. The move to remote and online solutions during the pandemic exacerbated inequalities, despite mitigation efforts put in place. This study explores the current state of ed-tech initiatives in the LAC region to understand to what extent and how technology fostered learning, and reduced inequalities, in primary and secondary education in the region, using an issue-specific political economy framework. By mapping and comparing the progress of key ed-tech policies and programmes in 12 LAC countries, develop specific case studies of 7 selected ed-tech programmes and policies, and qualitative interviews to 38 stakeholder and educational actors, it surveyed key trends in the adoption of digital learning technologies in the region, and the critical challenges facing the advancement of the ed-tech agenda.

The development and implementation of educational technologies (ed-tech) in LAC has been severely limited by inequalities and other structural factors. Despite the proliferation of policies and programmes promoting the adopting of ed-tech practices in many LAC countries, schools, teachers, and students in poorer and rural areas reap fewer benefits from the adoption of digital technologies in the classroom. This is because disparities in key infrastructure such as reliable power, internet access, ed-tech devices and platforms to facilitate digital learning substantially affected the success of ed-tech among those populations. Across the LAC region, government transitions and complex public-private relationships in the ed-tech sector resulted in a problematic gap between the conception of ed-tech policies and interventions and their practical implementation.

Analysis of the selected ed-tech initiatives shows a scenario in which a wide range of factors, including the role of the state or political factors, the structure of the economy and the distribution of income, and the relationship between different social groups, yield a particular ed-tech political economy configuration, which is characterised by: (i) Multiple actors taking part in ed-tech: governments, private companies/internet providers, NGOs, and very importantly, international bodies such as the IDB, UNICEF, among others. These actors operate with varying degrees of influence, depending mostly on the level of public resources and state capacities. For example, ed-tech is a field where expert knowledge is highly valued due to the technical complexities associated with hardware and educational software; this determines who has a legitimate voice in these types of decisions; (ii) Disputes around the meaning and role of digital technologies in education: This relates to the institutional form that digital citizenship adopts in a country, which shapes and conditions the public resources and efforts targeting the development of digital skills, teacher and student digital literacies, the guarantee of digital rights, and so on; (iiI) A political dynamic that affects policy continuity and stability in key reforms, such as those related to ed-tech. It also shows a governance system with deficits in terms of coherent coordination between ministries, private companies, and civil society organisations (CSOs) and (iv) Challenges in harnessing technology to transform long standing socioeconomic and educational disparities. The integration of equity and inclusion priorities into ed-tech relates to the intricate interplay of socioeconomic factors, geographical disparities, cultural norms, and educational history.

The study finds that although there is significant regional variation in progress on the digitalisation of education, ed-tech interventions have gradually transitioned from the provision of digital learning devices and internet access, towards enhancing digital literacy among teachers and students. It also finds that the integration of technology in education demands a pedagogical shift towards more personalised learning, targeting the specific needs of students and teachers. Relatedly, efforts to combat educational inequalities must also take into account excluded groups, particularly along lines of gender and disability. While opinion varies in terms of how to best support a sustainable ed-tech environment, the issue of governance is central. The presence of multiple stakeholders requires an effective governance system to ensure the efficient use of resources, prevent overlapping functions, and to ensure policy continuity.

This presentation aims to showcase the findings of a study conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as part of a broader Global South research initiative (Castillo-Canales et al. 2023). This initiative conducted by GRADE and Southern Voice explored the evolving landscape of educational technology (ed-tech), particularly in light of the increased global and national focus on this field. The initiative paid attention to the push that the pandemic implied to integrate technology in education, not only to address challenges related to access, quality, and system management, but also, to understand key dimensions that are central to ed-tech discussions: pedagogical implications, the role of ed-tech in tackling inequalities, and governance structures (Cueto, et al. 2023).

References:

Castillo-Canales, D., Mejías, L., Roque-Gutierrez, E., Valentini, A., & Rüebcke, J. (2023). Ed Tech landscape and challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Occasional Paper No. 90). Southern Voice.

Cueto, S., Balarin, M., Saavedra, M., & Sugimaru, C. (2023). Ed-tech in the Global South: Research gaps and opportunities (Occasional Paper No. 91). Southern Voice.

Author

• Dante Castillo-Canales, SUMMA