What started as a health crisis quickly turned into an economic crisis, and now the education crisis is emerging. The figures are scary: Over 850 million children and youth – roughly half of the world’s student population – had to stay away from schools and universities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It’s a truly global crisis with all countries affected. Countries building on traditional school systems like Germany suddenly found themselves at the bottom of the table in terms of ability to deliver education virtually. While universities were quick to switch, primary schools are only now getting onto digital learning platforms. Countries such as India, which had made great strides in digital education, are now the frontrunners.
Vaccination will help us prevail over the health crisis and China has demonstrated that the economic crisis can also be overcome faster than expected. However, I fear that the education crisis will have long term negative effects for a whole generation of children, aggravating inequality and diminishing opportunities on an individual level, but also on a macro level as companies are looking to recruit staff for industry 4.0.
On the other hand, the Covid-19 pandemic has been the greatest disruptor and accelerator of digitalization globally, with ripple effects in each sector. EdTech is booming, benefitting from the confluence of lockdowns and mobile smartphone penetration rates, enabling more rural populations to access quality education. For example, Reuben Wambugu from Bridge Kenya shares with us in this issue of CLUED-iN how Bridge schools have introduced mobile quizzes and new learning formats.
When I got started on inclusive business in 2009, I attended the launch of Monitor’s Emerging Markets, Emerging Models report and was fascinated by the opportunities to address unserved needs at the base of the pyramid (BoP) through innovative business models. An approach called paraskilling involved investing heavily in centralized curricula development, then delivered by local women in the communities. Twelve years later, we are witnessing a very similar model of massive servers being accessed by millions of learners worldwide. Technology has moved on, but the underlying business model stood the test of time, enabling previously underserved communities to access quality education and vocational training.
Are we witnessing therefore the demise of the role of the teachers? Having been a home school teacher to my nine-year-old son, I don’t think so. While pure online learning has its role, I believe that the future will be in blended learning formats combining the best of the digital and the analog world. This issue of CLUED-iN features a number of fascinating blended learning initiatives, including the new skilling platform Shiksha developed by LabourNet in India.
But will those two worlds merge easily? I have my doubts because the traditional educational infrastructure is under enormous pressure due to the strain on public finance not only in OECD countries, but much more in emerging and developing countries. Will the private sector step up, close this gap and deliver quality education and vocational reskilling to the underserved communities in inclusive business models? Will companies collaborate to address the digital divide? There are some great examples featured in this edition of CLUED-iN, which offers rooms for optimism.
However, a word of caution - going to school is so much more than algebra. It not only about learning, it is also about social learning, nutrition, protection, friendships, experiences, laughter, joy, falling in love, falling out of love, disappointments, success...
While I share the enthusiasm for online learning and the opportunity of leapfrogging into an era of virtual and blended classrooms, I am acutely aware of the deep psychological impact this educational crisis poses for the youth. The effects will be long with us when the health and economic crisis are only a distant memory.
