What is the fate of schools in the midst of technological transformations in developing countries?
The developing world is experiencing a technological dependency that makes the population there aspire to various technological transformations, but on the contrary, educational policies are failures, they have not relied on successful local experiences, and they have not imitated leading international experiences in their entirety.
The result in general is stumbling students and schools without a future
What do you think, it's confusing me...
Hi Mohamed - good question. A few thoughts.
1. Don't overestimate that all schools in developed countries have embedded transformational digital technology and ICT across the curriculum practices. With some honourable exceptions (individual countries and outlier schools) most schools have NOT transformed their STEM education and ICT practices and things will not have changed markedly in the past 25 years.
2. Although there may need to be something of a catch up in terms of provision/availability of hardware and/or teacher training in developing countries, don't overdo the deficit discourse - "stumbling students and schools without a future" may be too harsh.
3. I would suggest that schools in developing countries concentrate on a few things (making the best of their existing curriculum architecture and teacher training provision).
- Help students to navigate and apply critical thinking to everthing available to them on the internet;
- Ensure that students are comfortable and confident in using different forms of technology (including mobile phones, digital cameras, ipads etc....) in support of educational goals;
- Create opportunities for students to apply/use technologies to solve real problems - designing, making, presenting - that arise across the full range of learning areas.
Few young people are 'stumbling' where it comes to digital technology. They may be digitial natives where there teachers are not - but that is OK.
Problem is, young people will be conceptualising technology as something that supports social and leisure purposes - introduce them to the fact that they cam get beyond funny Youtube cat videos and sarcastic memes!
Many schools are in the phase of transition. Technology is embedded into the system and many teachers are struggling to keep up with the pace.
Chidren in developing countries can be categorised as haves and have-nots in terms of availability of technology as a means of learning. The pandemic, when schools were closed for close to two years showed how poorer students in government schools in India struggled to cope with online education as even mobile phones weren't available to them.
Technological upgradation in schools will require lot of investment as well as teacher training for capability building.
Schools in developing countries are struggling to move with the current trend. Issues such as funding and technology illeracy are making ICT adoption difficult in most schools.
Peter Brett Thanks for this wise answer.
Students in many developing countries, believe that the schools of the developed West are much better than their own; in terms of equipment, curricula and even teaching methods and administrative flexibility, the means of communication have played a pivotal role in shaping this rosy outlook.
Thus, frustration, despair, and recognition of the fait accompli are widespread in the hearts of students and reflected in the susceptibility to learning.
We will not deny some of the efforts made by some individuals and institutions, which are important coolers worthy of all respect and encouragement, but when it is not rainy we do not think about carrying an umbrella, we prefer a hat anyway.
In my opinion, what gives success a special taste is to become popular.
Saurabh Sinha Excellent note.
Do you think developing countries are willing to fund technological projects in schools?
Why, then, is an investment that offers profits as soon as possible often outside the accounts of education for politicians?
Mohamed Fergal It isn't 'profits' in terms of benefits that quality education to school students would entail, the decision-makers are looking at financial returns from investing in technology. That is why you see private schools investing big in technology as they can charge hefty fees from wealthy students, but government schools keep themselves away from asuch investment.
Saurabh Sinha I completely agree with you, so it is good for decision-makers in developing countries to remedy the matter and promote investment in learnings, values and qualifications that push students to the skills of the 21st century, without losing sight of the importance of integrating technology into the entrances and outputs of the educational process away from greed and useless consumption.
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