Education systems in low- and middle-income countries are portrayed as trapped between the urgency of expanding digital access and the harsh reality of constrained budgets. In many African and South Asian nations, per-child public spending on education remains below $100 a year, most of it absorbed by salaries, leaving little fiscal space for devices, connectivity, or teacher training. Donor flows, which spiked temporarily during the pandemic, are now declining, while household contributions are already stretched thin. The result, the authors argue, is that without new financing models, digital learning will remain a promise unfulfilled for millions of children.
The Pitfalls of Business as Usual
The report is blunt about the pitfalls of current practices. Governments frequently treat technology as a capital expense, focusing on the purchase of hardware while overlooking operational costs such as training, maintenance, and software upgrades. This leads to a familiar pattern of “computers in boxes” or devices locked in labs, underused because teachers were not trained or content was not aligned with the curriculum. Procurement, too, is often inefficient and poorly coordinated, with ministries failing to aggregate demand to obtain better prices. Limited budgets are spent on devices that soon become obsolete or underutilized, eroding public confidence in digital learning investments.
It also means applying cost-benefit analysis before making procurement decisions and prioritizing investments with the highest impact, such as equipping teachers with structured digital lesson plans rather than distributing devices indiscriminately to students. Leasing arrangements, device-as-a-service models, bulk purchasing, and zero-rating educational content with telecom operators are all presented as practical ways to reduce costs and improve value for money.
Unlocking Untapped Billions
Philanthropic organizations, from the Gates Foundation to the Mastercard Foundation, have already demonstrated how catalytic funding can accelerate digital learning initiatives. Social and development impact bonds, though complex to structure, could tie private investment to measurable learning outcomes. Training funds, collected through industry levies in more than 75 countries, could be redirected toward building teachers’ digital capacity. The report goes further, urging governments to tap into the billions of dollars in idle cash reserves held by private IT companies, with donors providing guarantees to offset the risks of entering low-income markets.
A Call for Equity, Resilience, and Urgency
The report ends with a call to action. Ministries of education must align EdTech investments with national learning goals, build teacher capacity, and reform procurement processes to focus on long-term value rather than short-term cost. They must reallocate dormant funds, engage the private sector through genuine partnerships, and ensure that equity remains at the core of all digital learning initiatives. “Universal digital learning is not a luxury,” the authors write, “it is a necessity for equity and resilience.” By marrying fiscal discipline with innovation, the World Bank argues, low- and middle-income countries can take concrete steps toward building education systems that are more inclusive, connected, and future-ready.
Hence then, the article about world bank urges new funding models to close global education technology financing gap was published today ( ) and is available on Devdiscourse ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( World Bank urges new funding models to close global education technology financing gap )
Also on site :