The EdTech Trap: $340 Billion Invested, Learning Outcomes Unchanged in Most LMIC Contexts
Objective
Systematically assess the evidence base for EdTech interventions in LMICs, identify the conditions under which technology improves learning outcomes, and explain why most EdTech deployments fail.
Methodology
Systematic review of 180 RCTs and quasi-experimental studies on EdTech interventions in LMICs 2010-2025 (JPAL, IPA, World Bank). Technology deployment database from UNESCO. Cost-effectiveness analysis using JPAL Education Evidence base.
Findings
07 SD — statistically indistinguishable from zero. 31 SD in controlled settings). The pattern is clear: technology amplifies good teaching and compounds bad teaching. Deployments that fail share three features: tablets/devices distributed without content or training, connectivity requirements unmet, teacher integration absent.
The $340B EdTech market has optimised for device deployment metrics (tablets per student) rather than learning outcome metrics. Procurement incentives in most countries reward hardware spend over pedagogical quality.
Key Assumptions
- •Publication bias toward positive results may inflate effect size estimates in the literature.
Limitations
- •Generalisability of positive EdTech studies from controlled settings to at-scale deployments is uncertain.
Share
Evaluation Scores
Data Sources
JPAL Education Evidence Review 2025
academic
Reliability: 93%
UNESCO EdTech Deployment Database 2024
government
Reliability: 89%
World Bank EdTech Evaluation Systematic Review 2024
government
Reliability: 91%