Strengthening decision-makers’ capacities for appropriate EdTech use in South and Southeast Asia – Cambodia

 

Technologies in the school environment have long shown the potential to improve education in low-income countries. However, significant gaps in knowledge, capacity and policy still hinder the effective adoption and scaling of proven educational technologies (EdTech) in these contexts. There is a lack of impartial, reliable evidence on the impact of EdTech.

Further, the challenge lies not only in identifying technologies that improve learning outcomes (rather than simply focusing on digital inputs) but also in enhancing educators’ capacity to effectively use these technologies and in creating favourable policy environments for their success. In addition, it is important to include EdTech in broader pedagogical approaches and educational interventions rather than putting it at the centre and to ensure it reaches vulnerable populations and promotes gender equality throughout its design, implementation and scaling.

IDRC is launching a three-year global initiative to strengthen the capacities of key educational stakeholders — particularly technical teams within ministries of education — to improve learning outcomes and increase access for vulnerable students in low- and middle-income countries. The initiative aims to generate new, Southern-led evidence on EdTech priorities for public education to support the adoption and scaling of learning-centered innovations and foster policies that enable EdTech to deliver on its potential.

This specific project, with the active involvement of all stakeholders, will generate evidence, develop capacity-building tools and create a community of practice to enhance the capabilities of Cambodian and other regional education decision-makers in evaluating and implementing effective EdTech products and services. The project’s outputs will consist of high-quality research reports, policy briefs, an interactive EdTech framework and toolkit platform, and training for key actors in the EdTech ecosystem, alongside national and regional workshops.