About
EdTech Hub works with the Government of Bangladesh, including the Directorate of Primary Education and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, as well as researchers, development partners, and local organisations to generate practical, policy-relevant evidence. Within one of the world’s largest and most centralised education systems, Bangladesh faces systemic challenges that demand solutions which are both realistic and scalable. By focusing on equity, relevance, and the everyday realities of classrooms, EdTech Hub supports the meaningful use of technology, ensuring it strengthens teaching and learning across the system, particularly for those most at risk of being left behind.
Bridging the Gap
The challenge
Bangladesh has expanded access to education, but quality and equity remain challenges. The government’s vision has driven major investments in ICT for education, yet many schools still face limited infrastructure, low teacher capacity, and uneven access to devices and connectivity. Learners from marginalised communities are most affected.
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed these gaps, highlighting the need for effective digital and blended learning. Decision-makers often lack practical evidence on what works in different contexts. Evidence-informed strategies are needed to ensure technology supports learning for all children.
How EdTech Hub helps
We work alongside ministries and partners to address evidence gaps and strengthen the use of data and research in decision-making. Through mapping exercises, capacity building, and testing new approaches, we help ensure educational technology contributes meaningfully to national education goals and better outcomes for all learners.
Key themes
- AI
- Climate Emergencies
- Digital Personalised Learning
- Participation and Messaging
- Teacher Continuous Professional Development
A Theory of Change for a Technology-Enhanced Education System in Bangladesh
The series includes three Theory of Change (TOC) papers, each focused on a key stakeholder group in Bangladesh: learners, teachers, and parents or caregivers.
This TOC focuses on learners as the primary beneficiaries of an increasingly technology-enhanced education system in Bangladesh. Developed with stakeholders to support the monitoring and evaluation of distance learning programmes during the 2020 Covid-19 school closures, it outlines how access to educational activities across multiple modalities (TV, radio, smartphone, online platforms, etc.) can improve learning outcomes for students in Classes 1–12.
Timeline of Activities
2020
Survey and report completed on the Bangladesh Covid-19 School Sector Response Project (BSSRP) to assess technology ownership in Korail households, how devices were used to support learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the factors affecting students’ access to and use of technology.
2022
EdTech Hub and UNICEF Bangladesh develop a Theory of Change (ToC).
2022–ongoing
Research study started (in partnership with 3Mpower) – focusing on mobile learning for marginalised mathematics educators.
Research Spotlight
Evidence for Decision-Making
Explore evidence and publications relating to Bangladesh to support policy and practice.
Meet the Team
Delivering Change Together
A look at our key in-country partnerships and collaborative efforts.
Directorate of Primary Education (DPE)
In collaboration with the DPE, we supported the dissemination of the new national curriculum in 2023. While developing its own LMS, the DPE also used the government’s Aspire to Innovate (A2i) Muktopath platform to train primary school teachers. To support the LMS development, we provided relevant information. A dissemination event was completed on 1 December 2024. We are not currently engaged in any direct work with the DPE.
A2i
A2i has been a long-standing partner since 2022, with an initial collaboration on developing the National Blended Learning Framework.
A2i is currently supporting the government by partnering with EdTech Hub in its Ministry’s AI Challenge.
BRAC IED
We have been collaborating with BRAC IED under the Hub’s climate portfolio since 2024. Together, we are conducting implementation research on their Social and emotional learning (SEL) intervention, focusing on how it fosters climate resilience among mothers and children in climate-vulnerable coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE)
We have been working with the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) in various capacities since its inception. Over time, we have supported the DSHE in developing several communication materials. Subsequently, the Directorate approached us for assistance with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Following several discussions and collaborative efforts, DSHE has now been selected for the AI Ministry Challenge. We are hopeful that this will lead to a continued partnership over the next seven months.
World Bank
In 2023, we supported the World Bank in a feasibility assessment for a secondary education programme, initially valued at USD 700 million and later revised to USD 300 million. The project is now being implemented by the Government of Bangladesh, with research conducted through competitive bidding. We are in touch to explore the Hub’s potential role. Additionally, we are engaging with the Bank’s primary education team to support the planning of PEDP-5.
European Union
Since 2023, we have been collaborating with the European Union (EU) to enhance access to an online curriculum-dissemination training developed in partnership with the Directorate of Primary Education (DPE) for approximately 400,000 teachers. As an independent body, the EU engaged us to assess and improve course accessibility. We continue to work with them and have also jointly organised a national dissemination event for government stakeholders.
UNICEF
UNICEF Bangladesh partnered with EdTech Hub to explore how EdTech interventions can improve numeracy skills among marginalised learners in Bandarban, one of the country’s most remote regions, through a sandbox. In parallel, the two organisations developed a Theory of Change to guide future programming and inform strategic use of technology in education.
Global Partners
