Qualified Teaching Workforce - Opportunities and Challenges for Applying Edtech Solutions in Low-resource Settings

Group Submission Type: Paper Session

Proposal

Many education systems struggle to provide large-scale teacher training programs that equip educators with the skills needed to prepare students for an increasingly digital and evolving world. Without access to effective, practical training, teachers face difficulties in adapting their teaching methods to meet 21st-century learning demands.
The Future Teacher Kit addresses this challenge with a scalable, low-tech solution that leverages mobile phones and messaging systems to deliver adaptive teacher training efficiently. Designed in collaboration with educators, it ensures accessibility and practicality, allowing teachers to receive hands-on training while engaging in collaborative communities for knowledge exchange and mutual support.
Implemented successfully in Ethiopia, Botswana, Jamaica, and Ecuador, the initiative has demonstrated significant impact, with 97.7% of teachers reporting immediate improvements in their teaching practices. Recognized by GIZ management, the UN WFP Accelerator, and the OECD Innovation Unit as one of the most promising initiatives, the Future Teacher Kit continues to expand. In partnership with UNESCO and UNICEF, it aims to support countries worldwide in scaling up mobile-based teacher training to strengthen education systems and empower educators globally.
This panel will provide participants with the opportunity to experience the Future Teacher Kit firsthand, engaging with the platform as teachers do and exploring its interactive and collaborative training approach in real time.

Sub Unit

• Teacher Education and the Teaching Profession SIG

Organizer

• Purna Kumar Shrestha, VSO

Chair

• Freda Wolfenden, The Open University, UK

Individual Presentations

• Improving the quality of teaching and learning through tech-enhanced Teacher Professional Development at scale: Lessons from Tanzania’s MEWAKA initiative. - Kristeen Chachage, Independent Consultant; Fika Burton Mwakabungu, EdTech Hub

• Empowering Refugee Teachers through Technology: Insights from the Instant Network Schools and ProFuturo Programmes  - Seun B Adebayo, UNHCR; Albane Coeurquetin, Vodafone Foundation

• Empowering Teachers through Blended Continuing Professional Development Opportunities- A case study of VSOSCHOOL - Purna Kumar Shrestha, VSO; Ashley Doria, VSO

• The Future Teacher Kit: Making Teacher Professional Development Opportunities Accessible - Eilean von Lautz-Cauzanet, GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)