Spotlight on EdTech: Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in achieving over 90% primary enrollment with significantly improved gender parity. Its focus has now shifted from universal primary education towards the quality of education and improvements in teaching outcomes. In order to meet this goal, the government has turned to the merits that EdTech can offer and is implementing a blended learning approach that integrates both digital and physical elements, and balances creative and logical aspects to strengthen its progress and address Bangladesh’s current educational challenges. In partnership with EdTech Hub, this Spotlight contributes to identifying EdTech innovations that have a great potential to be scaled and are being impactfully implemented in the context of Bangladesh and beyond, to directly address and support the learning needs of children, as well as supporting education stakeholders such as educators, parents, and communities coming from varying social and economic backgrounds. We sought a range of hi- to low-tech solutions, encompassing everything from SMS-based technologies and game-based learning to school management systems. These innovations target various educational stakeholders, including teachers, students, and administrators. This Spotlight also demonstrates how private and public sector players fit in the EdTech innovation ecosystem.