As countries seek to implement reforms to transform their education systems, technology is increasingly seen as a driver of improved educational quality, equity and inclusion.

As part of our ongoing blog series on technology for education, this post considers one of the six pillars of digital transformation in education: capacity and culture.

Education systems are complex. They involve many stakeholders—civil servants, teachers, pupils, parents and caregivers—who have different needs, interests and skillsets.

The digital transformation of education requires governments to support these stakeholders to safely and meaningfully use digital tools in teaching, learning and other educational processes.

Civil servants need the capacity to integrate technology into policy and planning. Teachers must gain the confidence to try to use digital tools to support lesson delivery.

Pupils need the skills to actively engage in digital learning activities. Parents and caregivers must understand how technology impacts their children's safety and well-being.

As seen in Viet Nam and Tanzania, effective technology for education reforms create space for capacity building and the participation of all stakeholders in program design and delivery.

Viet Nam’s embrace of technology: a commitment to building the capacity of early childhood education teachers

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education in Viet Nam, affecting approximately 4.4 million preschoolers and forcing around 22 million students to transition to online learning.

To address these challenges, the country has seen an increase in innovation and investment in technology for education (Tech4Ed).

Viet Nam has become one of Asia's fastest-growing Tech4Ed markets, currently valued at US$3 billion and supported by roughly 200 startup organizations.

For instance, platforms like Vuihoc provide students with over 500,000 resources and are incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to customize learning experiences.

Tools like Studocu allow students to share notes from more than 21,000 institutions worldwide, fostering collaboration.

Much of this growth is driven by Viet Nam’s government that has prioritized education in its national digital transformation program.

In 2022, the government introduced a project to strengthen the use of technology and accelerate digital transformation in education.

In the same year, the Ministry of Education decided to develop a new early childhood education curriculum that included science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

To support these reforms, the STEMsmart professional development model has been employed to help early childhood education teachers build confidence in facilitating STEM activities for students.

The model uses a digital toolkit with four main components:

• An online training course for teachers to engage in self-directed learning to build their content and pedagogical knowledge
• A digital repository of teaching resources to support teachers’ practice
• Two AI chatbots that offer personalized coaching and support for lesson planning to build teachers’ capacity to facilitate STEM activities
• An online community of practice to promote reflection.

Today, the GPE Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is supporting Hanoi National University of Education and RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) University Viet Nam to adapt the STEMsmart model for scaling in diverse early childhood education contexts, addressing equity and inclusion concerns and gathering evidence on the model’s cost-effectiveness.

Together, Hanoi National University of Education and RMIT Viet Nam are equipping teachers to bring STEM learning into classrooms in practical, inspiring and deeply meaningful ways for the youngest learners.

Tanzania’s approach to managing digital transformation in education: fostering a culture of learning and innovation for effective technology integration

Tanzania has set out an ambitious plan to transform the delivery of basic education services.

In 2023, GPE committed $85 million in grants to support the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to ensure all children enroll in the appropriate level of education and achieve foundational skills.

A core component of this plan involves strengthening workforce management and planning. The government is working with development and private sector partners to pilot and scale the use of digital tools for continuous teacher professional development.

As part of a GPE-funded foundational learning program, the Tanzania Institute of Education created an online application to provide teachers with access to a series of training modules.

Meanwhile, the nongovernmental organization Haki Elimu (“Right to education”) is piloting the use of virtual reality technology to support teachers in improving the quality of classroom instruction.

As part of these efforts, the government has also established mechanisms to gather feedback from schools and involve teachers in the digital transformation process.

The National Teacher Continuous Professional Development Program is testing the use of a range of digital tools—tablets, projectors, basic feature phones and a digital content repository—in school-based communities of learning for early grade teachers.

Teachers and school leaders have been invited to participate in focus group discussions to share feedback on the relevance and value of technology: which digital tools have been most useful or effective in supporting professional development activities? How do teachers use technology in communities of learning? Which forms of technology support access and engagement in communities of learning?

By taking steps to institutionalize collaboration across the education ecosystem and supporting the use of technology, the government of Tanzania is building a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement that is supporting the realization of its goals for foundational learning.