The UNESCO World Education Report highlights several key challenges and potentials of digitalisation in the field of education.
For example, digital technologies can break down barriers and make education more inclusive. Among other things, 87% of visually impaired adults state that accessible digital devices can replace existing aids. In addition, mobile phones, television and radio can reach groups that would otherwise be excluded from educational opportunities due to their remoteness. Technologies do not have to be particularly complex. For example, recording lessons in China was enough to reach 100 million learners in rural areas and improve their learning outcomes by 32%. Even during the corona-related school closures, the online learning approach has proven to be crucial.
At the same time, access to online services is unevenly distributed, as not every learner has internet access. Similarly, the use of technology does not necessarily lead to improved learning outcomes, especially if it is uncoordinated or excessive. For example, a study of over 2 million learners in the United States found that educational gaps widened when only distance learning was used.
The rapid pace of technological change is also putting education systems under pressure to adapt. Public budgets need to be adapted to new circumstances and data protection and children’s rights on the internet need to be further developed and their implementation monitored. At the same time, programmes must be created for teaching staff so that they have suitable IT skills.
