Pakistan ranks as the least prepared country in the region for digital education, according to an evaluation conducted under the ADB Digital Education Readiness Framework, which assessed the delivery of digital education in ten regional countries.
The assessment emphasized the crucial role that federal and provincial governments play in supporting digital education by providing infrastructure and policies.
However, they may require additional assistance from the private sector and multilateral partnerships due to the need for subject matter expertise, technical skills, and extra resources. The results revealed that there was a lack of teacher training in information and communication technology (ICT) skills, particularly regarding the delivery of online education.
Although teachers create educational content themselves, it is often basic, primarily comprising documents and presentations. When assessing internet quality, it was observed that teachers in schools can use the internet for various functions, such as browsing videos, consuming audio and video content, and downloading documents, but the internet is less suitable for heavier content like audio clips and videos.
The use of private EdTech platforms for conducting classes and communicating or sharing with students is notably low in Pakistan, with less than 30 percent of teachers at primary, secondary, and higher education levels utilizing these platforms. Among the ten ADB member countries, Pakistan has one of the lowest percentages of ICT graduates compared to the total pool of tertiary education graduates, standing at 1.1 percent.
Pakistan is a partner state to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and the GPE report highlighted the use of tech tools in Sindh and Balochistan to ensure teacher deployment and attendance tracking. Furthermore, grant funds are supporting the implementation of a distance learning program across Pakistan.
The report also outlined key areas for improvement, including low internet connectivity, slow fixed broadband speeds, high fixed line broadband costs, and limited rural electricity access.