Question & problem
In these times of COVID- 19, issues of access to digital learning for primary school learners in low and middle income countries (LMICs) has gained much attention. Primary school learners with disabilities in LMICs are most likely to face barriers to accessing digital learning or least likely to benefit from it. These barriers to education contribute to the increased risk of poverty for people with disabilities. Digital learning (Educational technology) offers the potential to enable continuing education generally for LMICs in the response to school closures and beyond it. Some LMICs have put in place measures to ensure learning continues by introducing virtual learning platforms and e-learning resources across all the levels of education, and as well organising lessons on television and radio. As LMICs work to make digital learning more accessible to all, this brief reports on evidence based approaches to promoting the inclusion of primary school learners with disabilities.
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Recommendations
Key recommendation
Action
Plan for the relevance–related extra cost of digital learning resources (e.g. additional cost for acquiring digital resources are budgeted for and all content made accessible and relevant to the needs of learners). Measures to ensure accessibility to be put in place must conform to SDG Goal 4 - ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (i.e. irrespective of the needs of a learner, opportunity should be provided to promote participation in learning)
Key recommendation
Action
Using the UNCRPD – Article 9 on accessibility, identify ways of engaging with telecommunication companies to subsidise costs (e.g. lowering/waving the costs of data on education content and improving connectivity through stable supply of electricity) to ensure that all children have equal and effective access to the digital environment in ways that are meaningful to them. Foster collaboration between the education and telecommunication sectors to ensure equitable access to digital learning.
Key recommendation
Action
Education sectors consider how we can execute digital learning and how we can use multiple delivery channels to minimise issues of access (eg; TV, Radio, mobile phones, tablets etc) to minimise barriers to access. Particular attention will also have to be payed to the cost implications of using this channels.
Key recommendation
Action
Collect data and conduct research to explore the effectiveness of blended learning (Digital instructions and non-digital packages - eg; TV, Radio, Digital devices - mobile phones, tablets etc, Take Home packages and Home Visit). Educators and researchers can be supported to collaborate in data collection, recording and reporting of outcomes to contribute to evidence.
Challenges
Challenge #1: The content of digital learning resources are often not relevant to the diverse needs of primary school learners with disabilities
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- The right to enjoy the full school curriculum and be able to participate in activities in different educational arrangements is inadequate due to the limited supply of new influx of mobile phones, tablets, and Assistive technology apps.
- Historically, children with disabilities face discrimination in their use of digital tools for learning and this has to change if learners with disabilities are to benefit from digital learning under COVID-19 restrictions.
- Educational Technology experts are often not adequately informed on how the varied needs of primary school learners with disabilities should be included in all digital learning resources (i.e.; need for accessible formats such as screen-reader compatible, simplified texts and recordings) to ensure content is appropriate.
Challenge #2: Data connectivity and affordability is a barrier to digital learning for primary school learners with disabilities in LMICs under COVID-19 restrictions.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted 94 per cent of the world’s student population, up to 99 per cent in low and lower-middle income countries. With a total cost of data for learning at $696 for lower-middle income countries, 3.7 billion learners having no internet access in poorer countries which is a barrier to learning.
- Barriers such as cost of data, improved connectivity, and electricity divide affects the ability of this learners to stay connected and ensure equitable access to digital learning.
- Lack of collaboration between the government and the private sector is identified as a barrier to bridging the electricity divides affecting LMICs.
Challenge #3: Lack of clear guidelines for coordinating digital learning using multiple delivery channels for primary school learners with disabilities in LMICs under COVID-19 restrictions.
- Ministries of Education in LMICs often lack a clear pedagogical approach to guide the use of multiple delivery channels of learning for primary school learners with disabilities which is critical for ensuring success of learners in a pandemic and post-pandemic. Most educational sectors in LMICs rely on guidance from UNICEF, IMF and EdTech – World Bank as a shift is made towards digital learning. However, operationalising this responses in LMICs is a challenge due to because of competing priorities and lack of resources.
- Ability of schools to successfully use a combination of digital (TV, radio, mobile phones etc) approaches in educating primary school learners with disabilities is also froth with its own challenges.
- Schools in LMICs are lacking in their capacity to strengthen support for teachers, parents and caregivers delivering remote learning. Teachers are confronted with the challenge of the creation of digital specific content whiles parents /caregivers are faced with the challenge of supporting their children digital learning arrangements. This is significant as the effectiveness of digital learning relies heavily on thoughtful curricula, pedagogy and content.
Challenge #4: Lack of data and research on the effectiveness of blended learning (Digital instructions and non-digital packages) for primary school learners with disabilities in LMICs under COVID-19 restrictions.
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- Reviews from LMICs shows a need for implementation research on the most effective approach to blended learning from perspective of people with disabilities. This investment is important if learners are to fully benefit from learning under COVID -19 restrictions. This can be achieved, if blended learning resources are co-created from the onset with beneficiaries to identify the most inclusive and effective blended learning solutions to inform action.
- Lack of training and engagement of teachers in LMICs to collect data at the school unit level, record and report on it for reference and contribute to their country data on blended learning.
- Minimal attempts made to explore public-private partnerships to support and enable ministries of education in LMICs attempts to replicate research from HICs.
Finding the answers
A review of reviews, narrative, rapid evidence reviews and other types of review evidence on the topic of overcoming issues of access to digital learning for primary school learners with disabilities were conducted. All recommendations are based on reviews of literatures from low- and middle-income countries. This evidence note is based on the findings of 9 reviews; 7 reviews of low- and middle-income country evidence and 2 reviews covering literature from both high income countries and low- and middle-income countries.
Recommendations & actions
Key recommendation
Action
Plan for the relevance–related extra cost of digital learning resources (e.g. additional cost for acquiring digital resources are budgeted for and all content made accessible and relevant to the needs of learners). Measures to ensure accessibility to be put in place must conform to SDG Goal 4 - ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (i.e. irrespective of the needs of a learner, opportunity should be provided to promote participation in learning)
Key recommendation
Action
Using the UNCRPD – Article 9 on accessibility, identify ways of engaging with telecommunication companies to subsidise costs (e.g. lowering/waving the costs of data on education content and improving connectivity through stable supply of electricity) to ensure that all children have equal and effective access to the digital environment in ways that are meaningful to them. Foster collaboration between the education and telecommunication sectors to ensure equitable access to digital learning.
Key recommendation
Action
Education sectors consider how we can execute digital learning and how we can use multiple delivery channels to minimise issues of access (eg; TV, Radio, mobile phones, tablets etc) to minimise barriers to access. Particular attention will also have to be payed to the cost implications of using this channels.
Key recommendation
Action
Collect data and conduct research to explore the effectiveness of blended learning (Digital instructions and non-digital packages - eg; TV, Radio, Digital devices - mobile phones, tablets etc, Take Home packages and Home Visit). Educators and researchers can be supported to collaborate in data collection, recording and reporting of outcomes to contribute to evidence.
Policy priorities
The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated the adoption of new digital learning approaches in response to school closures, and to address the issues related to learning for over a billion learners worldwide. Creating and promoting the right environment for digital learning has become critical for primary school learners with disabilities, who are vulnerable to exclusion from opportunities to continue learning in this era of a pandemic and beyond. Educational policy responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond in LMICs must give consideration to ensuring access to learners with disabilities in digital learning arrangements. LMICs policy response to COVID-19 must cover critical issues impeding access to digital learning for primary school learners, with a clear policy reflecting the specific concerns of learners with disabilities and make provision to ensure learners have the required technological assets for such learning. This can be achieved through working with people with disabilities and their representative organisations. There is also a need to invest in research to inform evidence-based practices in learning.
Conclusion
Primary school learners with disabilities continue to face barriers or continue to be left behind in online/digital learning solutions as a result of the enduring implications of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions on education. However, access can be improved if, learners with disabilities, parents and their teachers are consulted in the design and implementation of digital learning solutions. This is achievable with the right policy backing, partnerships with telecommunication network providers, appropriate budgeting, collection of data on access to learning and reporting for regional data. This has become imperative to ensuring learners stay connected and have equitable access to digital learning in a pandemic era and beyond.
Gaps & research needs
Finding systematic reviews on the topic for this brief on “digital learning and covid-19” was quite a challenge, as it is fairly a recent development.
Nonetheless, keeping the topic wide with implications of COVID-19 on education in general was necessary. With evidence from the systematic reviews showing some positive results, much more evidence is needed on; the most efficient models and implementation strategies to reduce the digital divide within LMICs, the optimal conditions for the effectiveness of digital learning solutions and the experiences of using accessible technology for learning in different contexts and varying impairment perspectives.
Acknowledgements
Peer Review: This brief has been reviewed by Sarah Polack, Associate Professor at the International Centre for Evidence in Disability at LSHTM and Onaiza Qureshi, Knowledge Exchange Officer at Disability Evidence Portal, LSHTM.
Publication details: © London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, January 2022.
Suggested citation: Abu-Sadat Rabbi. Evidence Brief: How can we overcome issues of access to digital learning for primary school learners with disabilities in LMICs during Covid-19? Disability Evidence Portal, 2022.