UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2023

Context: The UNESCO has warned against the use of digital products in educational settings in its latest publication titled ‘Global Education Monitoring Report – Technology in education: a tool on whose terms?’

Key Highlights of the Report

How Technology is Helping the Education?

• Increased Access to Learning Resources: Digital technology has dramatically increased access to teaching and learning resources.
  • Examples include digital libraries, educational portals, and open educational resources.
  • The report cited the examples of National Academic Digital Library of Ethiopia and National Digital Library of India.
• Improved Learning Outcomes in Some Contexts: Some education technology has shown small to medium-sized positive effects on certain types of learning.
  • In China, high-quality lesson recordings delivered to 100 million rural students improved student outcomes by 32% and reduced urban–rural earning gaps by 38%
• Distance Learning During COVID-19: Online learning became a lifeline during the COVID-19 school closures, offering a potential reach of over 1 billion students. It allowed students to continue their education remotely during times of crisis.
• Bridging Gaps in Hard-to-Reach Populations: Technology, such as radio and mobile phones, has been used to deliver education to hard-to-reach populations.
  • In Mexico, a program of televised lessons combined with in-class support increased secondary school enrollment by 21%.
• Accessible Technology for Learners with Disabilities: Technology has opened up opportunities for learners with disabilities by providing accessible devices and tools, reducing barriers to learning.
  • About 87% of visually impaired adults indicated that accessible technology devices were replacing traditional assistive tools.

Challenges Posed by Technology to Education

• Little Impact: The report highlighted that there is little robust evidence on digital technology’s added value in education.
  • At the same time, there was ample evidence of a negative link between excessive screen time and a child’s educational performance and emotional stability, it said.
• Unequal Access: Technology offers an education lifeline for millions but excludes many more.
  • Access to the internet and digital devices remains highly unequal, especially in low-income and marginalized communities. This digital divide exacerbates existing educational inequalities.
• Limited Learning Outcomes: In certain cases, technology is implemented without proper incorporation into pedagogy, leading to limited improvements in learning.
• Detrimental Impact: Technology can have a detrimental impact if used inappropriately or excessively.
  • Excessive ICT use has been linked to lower student performance, and mere proximity to mobile devices can distract students and negatively affect learning.
• Challenges in Teacher Preparedness: Teachers often feel unprepared and lack confidence in integrating technology into their teaching practices.
  • Only half of countries have standards for developing teacher ICT skills, and few teacher training programs cover cybersecurity.
• Issues with Digital Data Management: Various issues impede the potential of digital data in education management.
  • Many countries lack the capacity to effectively use digital data, and data systems struggle to link and analyze information effectively.
• Lack of Regulation in Online Content: Online content has grown without sufficient regulation of quality control or diversity.
  • Nearly 90% of content in higher education repositories with open education resource collections was created in Europe and Northern America;
  • 92% of content in the OER Commons global library is in English.
  • Massive open online courses (MOOCs) mainly benefit educated learners and those from richer countries.
• Ethical and Regulatory Challenges in Higher Education: Higher education is rapidly adopting digital technology through platforms like MOOCs, challenging traditional roles and posing ethical and regulatory challenges, including data privacy concerns.
• Short-Term Approach to Technology Investments: Technology is often bought to plug a gap without considering long-term costs.
  • The cost of moving to digital learning in low-income countries and connecting all schools to the internet in lower-middle-income countries would add significantly to their current financing gap for achieving national education targets.
• Impact on Children’s Well-being and the Environment: Children’s data privacy is not adequately protected, and some education technology products have been associated with uses that risk or infringe on children’s rights.
  • Moreover, technology contributes to e-waste and carbon emissions, affecting the environment.

Recommendations by the Report

• Establish a Broad Curriculum and Assessment Framework for Digital Competences:
  • The curriculum and assessment framework should not be tied to specific technologies but should focus on digital competences that are applicable in various contexts, including education, work, and citizenship.
  • Recognize and integrate informal learning that occurs outside of formal educational settings, acknowledging the skills and knowledge students acquire through technology use beyond the classroom.
  • Enable teachers and learners to fully benefit from technology’s potential in education while promoting digital literacy and responsible use.
• Implement Legislation and Standards to Protect Human Rights and Online Safety:
  • Adopt and enforce legislation, standards, and good practices to safeguard the human rights, well-being, and online safety of learners and educators.
  • Consider factors such as screen and connection time, data privacy, and data protection to ensure responsible and ethical use of technology in education.
  • Prevent student and teacher surveillance and regulate the use of artificial intelligence in education to maintain privacy and data protection.
• Consider Short- and Long-Term Implications for the Physical Environment:
  • Policymakers should carefully assess the short- and long-term implications of deploying digital technology in education, particularly its impact on the physical environment.
  • Avoid applications that are unsustainable in terms of their energy and material requirements, taking into account environmental sustainability when making decisions about technology adoption in education.
• Leverage Technology for Long-Term, Sustainable Benefits:
  • Rather than viewing technology as a short-term project, policymakers should leverage it to yield long-term, sustainable benefits for education.
  • Avoid being driven solely by narrow economic concerns and vested interests, and instead prioritize the long-term impact of technology on education and society.

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