Education transforms a society, yet, as strange as it may sound, technology was likely the last to wreak havoc on the education sector. It took a pandemic and the New National Education Policy to call into question the methods of instruction, attendance, testing, funding, and the personal relationships that education fosters.
Understandably, 2020 was a significant learning curve for kids, parents, and educators who were transitioning their teaching online, but 2021 and the second wave saw the efficacy of using technology for teaching and learning become totally acceptable, if not encouraged. We’ve all seen how technology can cause things to happen on a grand scale. Education delivery will now face new challenges in order to offer more tailored learning. The question is no more how we can conduct digital education, but rather how we can do digital education successfully. As a result, the transformation of educational institutions is no longer a stopgap, but rather a continuous process that must be carried out correctly and successfully even after the pandemic has passed.
The elearning market was worth $107 billion in 2015, $190 billion in 2018, and is anticipated to be worth more than $300 billion by 2025. Investing in education and lifelong learning is a growing trend among both older and younger students. Sell courses online have emerged to fill knowledge shortages. Many people appear to favour the convenience and flexibility of their own homes over the challenges of commuting to physical classes.
The ultimate goal is to empower kids, and institutions, edtech, students, parents, and teachers must all be on the same page. The innovation may not be about education or screen, but rather about school and screen. This necessitates digital collaboration rather than a digital separation.
How can governments make the most of their EdTech investments to create robust hybrid learning systems? This question necessitates a consideration of both the lessons learned from the adoption of remote learning during COVID and the new digital infrastructure access divide. The World Bank is collaborating with countries to explore solutions to concerns such as affordable connection, device procurement, cloud solutions, and multimodal education delivery. Furthermore, countries’ efforts in remote learning could be used to address existing educational difficulties. Many governments are now considering remote learning as a dual role: as an insurance policy against future disasters, particularly in a world suffering climate change, and as a way to reach out to out-of-school children and give a lifelong education to all residents.
What are the changing roles and new skills for instructors in hybrid learning systems, and how can technology be used to foster more human connections? To assist countries in empowering teachers, the World Bank is investigating teacher competency frameworks, teacher networks, and communities of innovative teachers. Teachers are still essential to learning, even in a technologically advanced society. There is mounting evidence that bypassing teachers and not engaging them with technology does not result in improved student learning.
How can technology help with future skill development, measurement, and accreditation? The World Bank will assist countries in defining 21st century competencies in students and teachers, as well as exploring ways to more effectively measure and accredit these skills in collaboration with external partners who will share knowledge and experience in communities of practise on difficult to measure skills and blockchain for education.
How can technology help with future skill development, measurement, and accreditation? The World Bank will assist countries in defining 21st century competencies in students and teachers, as well as exploring ways to more effectively measure and accredit these skills in collaboration with external partners who will share knowledge and experience in communities of practise on difficult to measure skills and blockchain for education.