A common framework for digital transformation in education was recently launched and proposes six pillars to support countries in their efforts to sustainably leverage technology for education. Building on this framework, a new GPE working paper discusses how countries can use technology through a partnership approach to improve education outcomes. Through concrete examples, this blog delves into the importance of leadership and collaborative engagement to ensure technology has a positive impact on equitable and inclusive learning.

The rapid digital transition of the global economy is driving the demand for new skills everywhere. In fact, 44% of workers' competencies are likely to be disrupted in the next 5 years. Meanwhile, progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4 is off track and the COVID-19 pandemic pushed millions more children into ”learning poverty.”

These challenges require innovative solutions and supporting education systems to leverage technology to improve the quality and equity of learning while simultaneously equipping current and future generations with the right mix of skills to ensure everyone benefits equitably from technological advancements as they enter employment.

Countries will not be able to harness the full potential of technology in education without visionary government leadership oriented toward equitable and inclusive outcomes.

This means that effectively integrating technology within education depends on the capacity of education leaders to define a clear vision to: achieve education goals for learners and society, prepare for system-wide change that’s supported by appropriate governance and accountability instruments, foster collaborative engagement at all levels and strengthen local ecosystems.

The need for education leadership in digital transformation

Research shows that leadership is among the most important factors that drive learning outcomes. However, education ministries don't always exercise the leadership attributes necessary for successful education technology planning and implementation.

The 2023 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report states that only 58% of education ministries take the lead on education technology governance. And when they do, their collaboration and coordination with ministries of information and communications technology (ICT) and other relevant stakeholders could be further strengthened.

As a result, education plans and national digital transformation policies tend to be disconnected. Only 13% percent of countries have policies on equitable access to technology in schools.

Reviews conducted in 2022 found that only one-third of the 24 publicly available national strategies for artificial intelligence (AI) integrated AI in teaching and learning, even though 11 out of 51 governments had developed and implemented AI curricula.

These actors are often responsible for developing school-level technology strategies that include building capacity and sharing best practices, data use, resource procurement and allocation, monitoring and evaluation, and management and reporting.

The 2024 GEM Report on school leadership found that of 211 education systems reviewed, only half required principals to promote teacher cooperation, including through technology integration.

In more recent years, various low- and middle-income countries have made significant strides in integrating technology into their education system by leveraging strong leadership and cooperation at all levels.

While the impact of these initiatives is still unfolding, Indonesia and Malawi offer great learning opportunities on their experiences leading a human-centered, equitable and balanced digital transformation of education.

How Indonesia set expectations and vision to prepare for digital change

Although Indonesia’s economy has registered notable progress, regional disparities hinder its development as reflected in its high Gini Ratio of 0.379. In recognition of these challenges, the government of Indonesia has set their expectations through 2045 Indonesia Vision and the National Medium-Term Development Plan 2020-2024 to drive sustainable economic and social development, which include leveraging digital technologies to develop its workforce.

The government anticipates the need for a digital workforce of 113 million workers by 2030-2035.

As a first step, the government formulated a digital transformation roadmap and a national AI strategy across sectors, including education and research, to: implement supportive regulations and financing schemes to incentivize innovation in the digital ecosystem; develop digital infrastructure in rural and remote areas to narrow the digital divide in technology access among its citizens; and enhance digital skills to ensure the availability of adequate expertise.

In addition, a personal data protection law was passed in 2022 to raise awareness as well as enhance safety and privacy in digital environments.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) has also set its vision through its 5-year strategic plan that aims to create learning opportunities for all and advance equity in the delivery of quality education services, particularly in underserved communities.

As the foundation of the Indonesia educational reform, MoECRT has launched a program called Emancipated Learning—a new curriculum and set of digital initiatives to reach all learners.

MoECRT has also developed and implemented regulations and policies in conjunction with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics to ensure safe and effective access to digital learning.

The government of Indonesia further ensures an adequate level of accountability for monitoring and evaluation of the digital transformation process by enacting ministerial guidelines (No. 6/2023).

The Community and Service Collaboration for Prosperity Program (KOMPAK) provides support to track vulnerabilities at village level through different data systems that capture gender and disability status, facilitating decision making and equitable resources allocation.

At the level of education, learning assessment systems are built into digital learning platforms and generate learning data that teachers can use to support students.

The sets of policies mentioned above have the potential to be designed and communicated to create an enabling environment that supports incremental changes within education systems to take full advantage of digital transformation.

Fostering collaboration to strengthen the local ecosystem in Malawi

The cross-sectoral nature of digitalization in education requires multistakeholder collaboration to leverage the necessary resources and expertise. Unfortunately, coordination and capacity issues are major barriers that can hinder the impact of technology on education outcomes.

In Malawi, the government’s leadership and commitment have brought partners together to support education reforms.

Creating platforms for collaboration—including sector working groups and technical working groups, joint funds for education services and a steering committee on foundational learning—have been key in strengthening the local education ecosystem, ultimately improving education outcomes.

Under the National Education Sector Investment Plan (NESIP) 2020–2030, the Ministry of Education has developed a partnership compact that identifies “quality foundational learning and learning for all girls and boys” as a priority reform.

In both NESI and the compact, technology is considered an enabler to improve learning. The ministry has partnered with the EdTech Hub to “strengthen the coordination of technology-supported programs (such as the National Numeracy Program, Next Generation Early Grade Reading project, and the BEFIT program) for improved foundational learning and service delivery.”

An example of collaborative engagement, BEFIT (Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology) is a promising government-owned initiative that spans the education, technology and energy sectors, bringing together school leaders, philanthropy and private sector actors. It focuses on improving foundational literacy and numeracy skills of all learners in grades 1 to 4.

BEFIT also includes a teacher empowerment component, upskilling interventions targeting young people to provide support services in ICT and solar power systems as well as rigorous research to assess program impact, with recent studies indicating promising results for student learning gains.

Bridging the gap between expectations, regulation and implementation of Tech4Ed initiatives for equitable and inclusive learning

Cultivating leadership and collaboration at all levels within the education system is critical to ensure the national vision and regulations for education and technology are translated into concrete actions that can improve learning for all.

All efforts to make technology work for education will be more effective if school and community leaders, teachers, middle-tier and national education authorities and political leaders are:

• engaged and actively participating in shaping the nation’s vision and policies to improve education.
• equipped to foster a culture of data-informed decision-making and continuous improvement processes.
• better prepared, motivated and empowered to develop and implement evidence-based and effective education digital transformation strategies.
• and supported by strong governance structures, accountability mechanisms and strategic partnerships that bring together public, private and philanthropic actors.

Malawi is selected among the countries that will benefit from the GPE Tech4Ed initiative, which aims to build countries’ capacity and mobilize evidence to use technology for education.

Both Malawi and Indonesia are part of a growing network of ‘Gateways’ countries—a joint UNESCO and UNICEF initiative for extending public education into digital environments, including through facilitating the exchange of knowledge and best practices (such as during the study visit in Indonesia in October 2024 with Malawi and other participating countries).

Initiatives like Emancipated Learning from Indonesia, BEFIT from Malawi, Gateways and Tech4Ed initiative that supports the integration of technology within education showcase the transformative potential of digital solutions to enhance learning outcomes.

Through strategic partnerships, collaborative engagement and a commitment to evidence-based practices, these programs are paving the way for a more equitable and inclusive educational landscape.

The success of these endeavors hinges on the active participation and leadership across all levels of the education system, ensuring that the vision for digital transformation translates into meaningful and lasting improvements in learning and workforce readiness for all students.

As nations like Malawi and Indonesia continue to innovate and share best practices, the global community moves closer to a future where every learner, regardless of background, has access to quality education empowered by technology.