A little expected aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic has been the comeback of some of the so-called low-tech including television, radio and SMS.

As for virtually every single industry and layer of life, Covid-19 has been one of the biggest disruptions to education the world has ever known affecting more than 90% of the world student’s population. While many countries turned to online education to ensure that learning continued, about half of the students worldwide do not have access to a computer at home, according to a recent study by the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS) and the Teacher Task Force.

Furthermore, around 706 million students lack internet access and 56 million live in areas not covered by mobile networks. Many countries had to find effective solutions quickly and older technologies and devices such as television, radio and text message systems have proven to be a good alternative when online learning is not a possibility.

In a virtual workshop hosted by UNESCO and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in May 2020, educators, broadcast experts and policy-makers gathered to discuss the opportunities and lessons learned on the use of radio and television-based distance learning.

They found out that most countries around the world are also using television and/or radio-based programmes to implement distance education. African countries are the most active in the efforts to leverage either TV or radio (70%), some combining both (34% of countries.) In Europe and North America, radio is less used than in other regions, while TV-based distance education programmes have boomed.

The value of educational broadcasts through television and radio is extensive to multiple generations as provide resources on issues such as health and psychosocial well-being, both of which are important in supporting populations affected by the threat of COVID-19.

Use of low-tech like TV, radio and SMS for remote learning worldwide

• In Morocco, courses are being broadcast on four television channels since the pandemic started. Daily lesson schedules available from the ministry of education, according to USAID.
• Meanwhile, in Sierra Leone – Used radio to continue teaching for all grade levels after Ebola and launched multiple radio channels for different grade levels and developed pedagogically scripted course materials.
• In Bulgaria, nearly 89% of students are enrolled in e-learning since the beginning of the pandemic. Each student is enrolled in distance learning six hours a day, including through broadcast lessons on national television channels.
• In the U.S., where 96% of households have access to television, whether, through traditional signal, over-the-air, cable, or broadband, the majority of students have access to a television as an “alternative technology”. In response to the COVID-19 virus, PBS has been providing a daily, five-hour At-Home Learning Service for students in grades 6-12 to PBS stations nationwide.

Low-tech for remote learning in times of coronavirus