Opportunities of ICT in Education

in Bangladesh

Anir Chowdhury Policy Advisor

Access to Information (a2i) ProgrammePrime Minister’s Office, Bangladesh

31 January 2015

Demography Income: $1,100 GDP per capita, 26%+ under

$1/day Literacy: 65% Bangla (English insignificant) Electricity: 62% of area under grid, very unreliable!

(Solar increasing)

Service delivery Not need responsive Complicated/fragmented process Extremely male biased

Bangladesh Context: ‘Glass Half Empty’

Area 2008 2014Poverty 40% 26%Literacy 49% 65%Electricity grid

27% 62%

Wireless 2G WiMax, 3GInternet users

0.4% 27%

Mobile users

20 million 120 million

Social media

Insignificant 8+ million (1 new FB user every 20

sec)e-Services Handful 100+ in major dev sectorsAccess points

<10 5,000+

Policy Dysfunctional ICT Policy

Policies: ICT, Broadband, Edu, Health, LG, PPP,

SFYP, OPPAct: ICT, RTI

Bangladesh Context: ‘Glass Half Full’

Birth and death registration

Examination results

Government forms download

Job information Visa application

and tracking Digital

photography Computer

training

Mobile banking

Life insurance English

training centres

Payments for government services

Tax collection Remittance

4.5 mil users/monthUSD 600K/monthPrevent Digital Divide:

Start with rural, expand to urban

The Digital Centres:Bottom-up Development

e-Services to Citizens 2010-2014AreaUnion Digital Centre

115 million e-Services113 million electronic birth registration

Government Services

3 million land records25 million utility bills2.6 million sugarcane purchase orders11 million money orders through post offices1.2 million railway tickets

Education 125 million exam results4.2 million students in 20,500 multimedia classrooms49,000 teachers interacting on Teachers Portal39 million results of public exams2.9 million admission applications through SMS

EducationContext 2030!

Work-ing Age67%

De-pendent33%

What skills will they need?For the domestic market? For the global market?

Will traditional capacity development channels be effective?

2015 2030

Population 160 mil 210 mil

Urbanization

30% 40%

Status LDC High Middle-income

Economy size

49th largest

30th largest

Strategy Survival, equity

Growth, equity

Child Entering

Graduating

Migration Outsourci

ng

Paradigm Shifts in the World:Employment is going global!

Employment seeking mindset

Entrepreneurial mindset

SME Freelancin

g

Paradigm Shifts in the World:Education is going softer!

Paradigm Shifts in the World:School is leaving the Building!

Let’s Not Forget Old Research Findings: “Sustainable” Learning

1. Poor market relevance of skill education leading to a severe mismatch between demand and supply

2. Inadequate certification standards3. Lack of focus on

Soft skills (communication, collaboration, problem solving and innovation)

Entrepreneurship skills Vocational skills

Major Challenges in Capacity Development

It is not enough to grow.We have to grow and

develop our capacity for growth

faster than our competition

Components of Digital Bangladesh

C o n n e c t i n g P e o p l e

B u i l d i n gC a p a c i t y

Se

rv

ing

C

itiz

en

s

Dr

ivin

g

Ec

on

om

y

D i g i t a lB a n g l a d e s h

MoEdu is the only ministry with an ICT Masterplan

Objectives of ICT in Education Masterplan

1. Teaching-learning environment

2. Professional and ICT skills of teachers

3. Standards of teaching-learning materials

4. Market-based skills5. Transparency,

accountability and efficiency in educational management

6. Services at doorsteps7. Public participation

1. World-class market-based skill development through participatory teaching-learning environment facilitated by motivated teachers

2. High-quality service at doorsteps of citizens through transparent, accountable and efficient education management

1. ICT in Education = ICT Education2. ICT Literacy must be TAUGHT to

students3. First step is setting up computer labs4. Focus on technology, not teachers

15

ICT in Education ‘Myths’

It’s Not Technology But Teachers That Improve Education

Teachers: 927,880 (Female 39%) Schools: 143,356 Training Institutions: 210 (81 Public, 129

Private) Teacher Trainers: 2,602 (Teacher : Trainer

ratio 357:1) Teachers Received Training on ICT-

Pedagogy integration: 4.35% (Female 3.9%)

Limitations of Traditional Training

Others

Less priority given to Madrasa sector

No effective application of training

Lack of coordination

Inconvenient location

Lack of skilled trainers

Duration is too small

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0%

1.3%.7%.7%

3.9%5.9%

7.8%9.8%11.8%

19.0%30.1%

36.6%37.9%

44.4%

Not effective, money-waster:short, not hands-on, disruptive to

otherwise stretched school resources.

Inadequate number of skilled teachers

School politics

Others

Budget/resource constraint in school

Lack of proper communication in remote regions

Lack of adequate resources in training facilities

Don’t know the reason

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%

2.7%

2.7%

2.7%

3.4%

5.4%

17.7%

78.9%

Limitations of Traditional Refresher Training

‘Don’t know the reason’ is highest!What is Refresher Training?

Importance of Refresher Training

Others

Increases responsibility on trainees’ part

To increase effectiveness of training

Problem sharing and experience sharing

Revision of original training content

To receive latest and updated information on the content

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0%

2.4%

13.2%

35.3%

46.1%

58.7%

62.9%

But teachers know they need it …

Wake-up Call!

1. Govt. + HW/SW Vendor Approach in 2000s

2. Traditional Teacher Training + ICT Labs

Criticism by 23 Teachers from 7 Schools in 2010

1. Birth of ‘Multimedia Classrooms’ +2. Co-creation and Collaboration by

Teachers

Multimedia Classroom

Reduces ‘Digital Divide’More importantly, reduces ‘Education

Divide’

22

305 e-books covering primary, secondary, madrassa, vocational

100+ Digital Talking Books

Innovative use of TV, radio, internet

www.teachers.gov.bd • 49,000+ members• 25,000+ contents• 4,000+ blog entries

Transform education, not IT education

Microsoft Office PowerPoint 97-2003 Prese

Teacher Co-creation and Collaboration

Teaching-Learning in Classroom Improved

Enjoyable &

effective learning

Easy to understand

Sustainable learning

Learning by

participation

Research Findings : Dr. Deborah Wyburn et al, 2013 (TQI-SEP)

Teacher Confidence Increased

Head Teachers in Agreement

Teachers Summit

Human connection, more than technology, drives collaboration!

Public reward is highly motivational!

Looking Forward: Virtual Interactive Classroom/Video Conferencing

possibility of online lectures or joint classes with remote teachers

enhancement of face-to-face sessions

Looking Forward …

e-Learning Platform of Bangladesh Open University

e-Learning/m-Learning for migrant workers

Low-cost, low-powered devices for teaching-learning

ICT for children with Special Needs Widening and deepening

collaboration and co-creation amongst teachers

Creative Questions Databank

Using of Sangsad TV for broadcasting the TV programmes

“The unused time of Sangsad TV should be effective through broadcasting the programmes on Agriculture, Health,

Education, Development Programmes etc. ‘’

- Sheikh Hasina, Hon’ble Prime Minister, Bangladesh.

20 May, 2012The inauguration of MMC, PMO

Human Development Media

Stop Over-focusing on Technology

“Technology can be a powerful education multiplier, but we must know how to use it. It is not enough to install technology into classrooms – it must be integrated into learning. Nothing can substitute for a good teacher.”

UNESCO (From the Save the Children’s ICTE Mapping Report)

Most Important Focus for ICTE: Teacher Empowerment Framework

• On-the-job learning

• Self-directed / self-paced, anytime, anywhere

• Public + private training

• Lower gender divide

• Lower rural-urban divide

• Less school disruption

• More effective monitoring

• Greater relevance of content through customization

• Mentoring• Learning by

debate/discussion

• Cost reduction of content generation

• Peer learning• Reflection &

planning• Community

development• Greater voice in

policy decisions• Higher social

status

• Leadership• Excellence• Commitment• Ownership

Continuous Learning

Co-creationMultimedi

a Classroo

m

E = mc4

Empowerment = multimedia classroom x

continuous learning x co-creation x collaboration x competition

Future: 21st Century Skills-based Curriculum and Assessment

Eliminate ‘Finish-the-syllabus’ approach.

Design Appropriate Assessments.

Future: Student Engagement in the Empowerment Framework

Co-design of classroom space

Co-creation of curriculum and content

Student collaboration within and across classroomsLet students take the wheel

How effectively are we using theICT in Education Master Plan?

1. Are we focusing on market demands? Soft skills, Entrepreneurship skills, Vocational skills

2. Are we designing new incentives for change for

Teachers, SMC, Education Officers

3. Are we coordinating effectively?4. Are we monitoring and evaluating

closely and making new decisions based on that?

5. Are we keeping the programming flexible to respond to changing context?

Ready. Shoot. Aim.