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Connecting learners: Narrowing the educational divide

While lack of access to the internet does not preclude children from obtaining an education, the absence of the learning opportunities that connectivity enables can serve to further widen the gap in outcomes for children with and without access.

We have not yet achieved universal and affordable access to the internet for all. Analysis by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that 1.3 billion children globally between the ages of 3 and 17—or two thirds of this age group—still need access to the internet.

According to researchers and academics, improvements in access to the internet and digital tools in schools—in tandem with other measures which enable the effective use of these tools, such as access to devices, the availability of relevant content, and the provision of support to teachers and students to effectively integrate technology into educational practice—holds the potential to equalise opportunities at an early age which proliferates throughout childhood and adulthood—bringing not only benefits at an individual level but to society.

If countries with below average connectivity levels could increase their connectivity to the levels of a country like Finland (with higher levels), and supplement this with the right policies and programmes to integrate technology in education, they could see increased GDP.

Possible GDP gains by 2025 if countries raised connectivity to Finland levels

Note: Findings for the US indicate the potential gains from increasing the speed of broadband connectivity to match the highest level available in the country.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has undertaken a research programme, with support from Ericsson, to assess the potential gains of increased connectivity and access to digital learning in schools, and the barriers that need to be overcome to achieve them.

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The internet in education

If a student is studying about a particular topic in science, the amount of information they can get from an illustration in a textbook is very different to seeing a live simulation from digital content obtained through the internet - the ability to learn, and also to retain the information, is enhanced.

Eric Kimenyi, Teacher Training Program Manager at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences

Internet connectivity can play an important role today in enhancing the quality of education students receive. Students, teachers and policymakers can benefit from internet connectivity to improve learning outcomes.

From the perspective of students, the internet can offer access to learning material and resources at the tips of their fingers. It serves as a repository of knowledge that is not restricted by geography and is available to anyone with connectivity.

For teachers, the internet enables access to assessment tools that can help identify student performance and pedagogical needs, to tailor teaching approaches accordingly. It also offers a wealth of digital resources that can be used in blended learning approaches which can free up their time to focus on teaching rather than on administration.

Finally, for policymakers, the internet offers a way to obtain real-time information on the effectiveness of policies, enabling more agile policymaking through, for example, more sophisticated Education Management Information Systems (EMIS).

Internet connectivity can play an important role today in enhancing the quality of education provided to students. Its potential uses in the context of education are plentiful.

For teachers, the internet provides quick access to learning outcomes and student performance to tailor teaching approaches accordingly.

Finally, for policymakers, the internet offers a way to obtain real-time information on the effectiveness of policies, enabling more agile policymaking.

School connectivity, learning outcomes and GDP

School connectivity vs. education quality

School Connectivity

Index from 1 to 7 (highest)

East Asia & Pacific

Europe & Central Asia

Latin America & Caribbean

Middle East & North Africa

North America

Sub-Saharan Africa

There is a clear link between school connectivity and the quality of education.

Countries with higher levels of internet connectivity in schools also tend to have higher average student performance levels on standardised tests. Expanding access to the internet in schools and embedding the use of technology in educational practices could equalise opportunities for students from an early age, with benefits that proliferate through childhood and adulthood.

But, the benefits of school connectivity don't just stop at the individual student—there are also spillover effects. Countries with higher levels of school connectivity also tend to have higher levels of national internet connectivity. In other words, school connectivity can facilitate—or is at least associated with—wider community connectivity to the internet, enabling the development of digital platforms and local entrepreneurship. In this way, school connectivity can serve to close not only the educational divide, but also the digital divide.

Through improving learning outcomes and connecting communities, school connectivity can drive wider economic benefits. Countries with higher levels of school connectivity also tend to have higher levels of economic development, output and income, measured by GDP per capita.

The impacts of improved school connectivity

School internet connectivity

Learning adjusted years of schooling

GDP per capita

Sources: EIU analysis

EIU analysis of data across countries and over time finds that a 1% increase in school connectivity (measured based on the extent to which the internet is used in schools) in a country

can increase the average number of learning-adjusted years of schooling by 0.06%

and GDP per capita by 0.11%.

How does it happen?

The chain of impact from school connectivity to socio-economic gains begins from improved learning outcomes for children. If improved connectivity is supplemented with the right policies to integrate technology in education, it can improve access to learning resources and enhance the quality of education.

Improved learning outcomes for children, combined with enhanced digital literacy skills, allows the benefits of school connectivity to permeate through the life of an individual from childhood, to adolescence to adulthood. New doors are opened for further education and career pathways, offering better opportunities at all stages of life.

This brings with it higher income levels and a better quality of life.

At an economy level, a more educated youth population leads to a more educated, skilled and productive workforce which is more capable of innovation and fostering groundbreaking ideas. This contributes to more economic development and facilitates a virtuous cycle of: more income, more spending, more jobs, more economic development, and back to more income.

However, school connectivity can also bring wider community-level benefits outside of the sphere of education, bringing additional economic gains.

The chain of impact from school connectivity to socio-economic gains begins from improved learning outcomes for children. This is driven by improved access to learning resources and an enhanced quality of education.

Ultimately, the benefits from improved school connectivity is reflected in the GDP of an economy. Indeed, one of the major ways in which enhanced school connectivity can stimulate economic growth is through an educational channel, improving the quality of education and hence the quality of labour force entrants in the future. However, school connectivity can also bring wider community-level benefits outside of the sphere of education, bringing additional economic gains.

Building connectivity to each school provides a laser focus that gives us the means to achieve universal connectivity. The school serves as the node that provides connectivity to the surrounding community.

Alex Wong, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Senior Strategy Advisor and ITU Giga Co-Lead

Disparities in school connectivity

Global variation in school connectivity

School Internet Connectivity Score (higher is better)

Sources: World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index (2017)

Despite the benefits of school internet connectivity, there remains a significant divide in access across countries.

Differences in school internet access give rise to differences in the quality of education across countries, and threaten to widen the gap in outcomes for students with and without access to the internet.

Sub-national disparities in school connectivity

Comparing connectivity measures across states

Sources: EducationSuperHighway State of the States 2019

But, national level school connectivity provides only a partial picture. We need to drill down to sub-national levels to really assess connectivity challenges.

Furthermore, while having access to the internet is necessary to support economic development, alone it is insufficient.

In the US, for example, with the exception of Alaska where only 62% of schools are connected, the vast majority of schools are well-connected to internet infrastructure.

However, while access to the internet in schools in the US is widespread, there is a wide gap across states in terms of the quality of that access measured by the speed of connections.

Furthermore, affordability of the internet also varies. So, although the infrastructure may exist to connect schools, the quality and cost can create a barrier to the extent to which it is used effectively in education. Unless connectivity is accessible and affordable, connectivity for all cannot be achieved.

Gains from improving school connectivity

Gains from school connectivity in Niger

Schooling years Niger: 2.7

Gains in learning adjusted years of schooling when increasing connectivity to levels of:

Rwanda

South Korea

Finland

GDP Niger: 553

Gains in GDP per capita when increasing connectivity to levels of:

Rwanda

South Korea

Finland

The findings are based on regression analysis using available data and EIU scenario analysis

Our analysis finds that improving school connectivity can improve both learning outcomes for children, and GDP per capita.

The average learning-adjusted years of schooling (a standard measure of learning outcomes) for students in, for example, Niger is currently at 2.7 years.

If Niger's school connectivity could be improved to reach that of Rwanda, its average years of schooling could increase to 2.9 years.

If Niger's connectivity went up to South Korean or Finnish levels, it could be lifted to 3 years.

GDP would also be positively effected. Niger's current GDP per capita of around US$550...

could increase by 12-19% depending on the level of connectivity Niger can be elevated to.

Even in countries where connectivity levels are higher, there is still the potential for gains.

Brazil, for example, could grow its GDP per capita by $250-$750 or 2-7%.

Gains from school connectivity

Increasing internet connectivity to Finland levels

While Finland's degree of connectivity is the most ambitious to aim for, it also shows the most significant gains for the countries in our analysis.

Learning-adjusted years of schooling could increase by 4-11% and GDP by 7-19% if the selected countries were to level up with Finland.

Gains from school connectivity

Connection quality in the US

Reaching national average speeds

Reaching North Dakota speeds

The findings are based on regression analysis using available data and EIU scenario analysis

But, school connectivity alone is not enough. The quality of the connectivity is also important.

Improving broadband speeds available to students to the national average could increase GDP in some US states by over 2%.

Lifting each state's broadband speed to the fastest speed currently available in the country could increase state-level GDP by almost 15%.

In this best case scenario the national GDP per capita would increase by 5.5% equating to an additional $3,130.

A further major challenge with regard to connectivity in the United States is the so-called “homework gap”—the differences in the availability of connectivity to students outside of schools. Addressing this challenge could stimulate even further, potentially more significant, economic gains.

So, what needs to happen next?

While there are substantial potential gains on offer from increasing school connectivity—both for individuals and wider society—our research, based on interviews with experts, finds that making these a reality is easier said than done. Firstly, school connectivity levels remain low in many parts of the world. Furthermore, while connecting schools is a necessary precondition, it is only one piece of the puzzle for achieving the gains.

Collaboration is key

There needs to be a coordinated strategy across government and the private sector to place access to the internet and digital learning at the forefront of education policy and overcome the barriers to integration

Accessibility and affordability

Building infrastructure to enable access to the internet and digital learning for all students is the starting point. But, this access also needs to be affordable and of high-quality

Embedding digital learning in education

Teachers and students alike need to be provided with the right training, tools and support to properly embed the use of the internet and digital learning in the delivery of education

Protecting children online

We need regulation and policies to enable the safe and secure use of the internet for children in learning

If socio-economic development is linked to internet connectivity then why isn’t every government on the planet trying to connect everybody in their country and making it a priority? There are many hurdles we need to overcome to “take the internet out of jail”. Changing mindsets will be crucial and possibly the most difficult. But there are also physical barriers which make no sense - regulatory barriers, customs barriers, and others.

Jane Coffin, Senior Vice President for Internet Growth, Internet Society

Expanding internet connectivity is only part of the solution. It allows us to address the supply side challenges. But we also need to think about the demand side - we need people with the skills to use the internet, and the content needs to be relevant.

Alex Wong, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Senior Strategy Advisor and ITU Giga Co-Lead

With the growing recognition of the benefits of school connectivity, the pace at which children are being connected to the internet is now faster than ever. But, there remains huge gaps in access not only across, but also within, countries. Providing access alone is also not the end of the story. A cross-stakeholder effort is needed on the part of policymakers, the telecommunications sector, schools and businesses to fully leverage the benefits on offer. Discover more about the importance of connectivity in education and how it could be made a reality by downloading the full report.

Download the full report