Digital Education

In August 2023, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced an innovative four-year partnership for driving better results for persons in Latin America and the Caribbean. Both organizations committed to working together to promote digital development in the region. The action plan proposes that, through this collaboration, digital infrastructure and connectivity can be effectively expanded to help accelerate socioeconomic development. Through the Connected Schools for All initiative, the World Bank and the IDB will develop plans to bridge the digital divide in education, ensuring that young people have the skills needed for the economy of the future. An innovative pilot program will bring connectivity to underserved areas of the region, helping more people gain access to the Internet and opening up new opportunities.

Connected: Digital transformation to accelerate learning

VIRTUAL EVENT - 30 OCTOBER 2023

Bringing connectivity to more than 3.5 million students, connecting almost 12,000 schools, and providing digital skills to more than 350,000 teachers in Latin America and the Caribbean, is the commitment announced by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank during the event “Connected: Digital Transformation to Accelerate Learning,” held on 30 October 2023 in Washington, D.C.

As part of a shared vision to promote sustainable and inclusive growth in the region, and in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Presidents of both multilateral organizations, the institutions announced a joint investment of US$512 million to boost the digital transformation of education systems in more than 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The two institutions also unveiled an additional US$400 million investment to support the work agenda for the next two years, which includes the co-creation of public goods, such as platforms for mapping and expanding the number of connected schools and assessing the digital skills of teachers, along with many knowledge products.

Ana María Ibáñez, the Inter-American Development Bank's Vice-President for Sectors and Knowledge, highlighted that "this collaboration is greater than the sum of the two parts. By combining our strengths and resources, we are making a commitment to improve learning and open up new opportunities for human capital development. We are convinced that quality education, accessible to all and throughout life, is essential for overcoming poverty and inequality".

During the event, it became clear that there is an urgent need to support teaching processes by using digital connections and tools to improve students' skills, as well as those of teachers. The importance of strengthening the classroom and providing tools to the education system, through advice and training to managers and teachers to ensure that children and young people learn effectively, was emphasized.

"At the World Bank, we are committed to closing the digital divide in Latin America and the Caribbean. The essential factor for improving learning is effective teachers, and digital technologies can dramatically enhance the work of teachers in the classroom and help us reach all children effectively," said Jaime Saavedra, Human Development Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank.

These digital actions, which in this case are focused on education, are part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, which seeks to bridge the digital divide, provide resilience to the Caribbean in the face of natural disasters caused by hurricane seasons, and protect the Amazon in the region.

Learn more on the event’s website

Apart from experts, the region’s Ministers of Education shared their impressions about the challenges and opportunities for digital transformation in learning spaces.

(Video in Spanish)