Hardware: the provision of connectivity and digital devices
OECD · Digital education outlook · 2023
Connectivity – meaning stable, reliable, and high-quality connection to the Internet – and digital devices are necessary, albeit not sufficient conditions to realise the full potential of digital education. Its large-scale provision, however, remains a challenge for education systems, a challenge that was simultaneously amplified and galvanised by the COVID-19 pandemic that forced a shift to remote learning. This chapter analyses where countries stood before the pandemic regarding the provision of connectivity and devices, which policies they implemented in past years, and what is coming next for systems aiming to bring digital education to schools and students everywhere.