Lessons Learned from EdTech Integration During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into education, such as EdTech, in low- and middle-income countries has provoked various global debates. Meanwhile, the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic since 2020 has transformed the situation, elevating ICT as essential for education access. Thus, to systematically address the issues that need consideration when introducing EdTech at the national level, a case review of EdTech implementations in Bhutan and Nepal was conducted. We selected these countries as cases for comparison from the perspective of project timeline, including responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The review took place from a socio-technical perspective encompassing the “conceptualizing and planning phases” and “execution phase” of the project life cycle. As a result, the cases were organized by their respective phases, and similarities and differences between the two cases were analyzed. After the analysis and comparison, generalizable lessons were identified; the usefulness of low-tech media, the importance of locality, and the necessity of capacity/infrastructure development were the major factors in realizing effective EdTech projects. These insights will contribute to the effective design and implementation of EdTech in the future.