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As global researchers increasingly reflect on the role of digital innovation in reshaping learning, the question of equity has never been more urgent. Who benefits from educational technology, and who risks exclusion? While digital strategies are widely celebrated in policy discourse, their implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often plays out under starkly different conditions (Tauson & Stannard, 2018; Norman, 2023).

This blog post shares insights from a pilot study at a low-cost private school in Islamabad, Pakistan, where was introduced to enhance everyday teaching. The school serves students from lower-middle-income families, with minimal IT infrastructure and little prior exposure to digital tools. The findings speak not only to the local challenges of digital inclusion but also offer meaningful parallels for researchers and educators around the globe dealing with inequality and innovation in their own settings.

Digital tools in context: What was introduced?

The pilot followed a mixed-methods case study approach, guided by the following research question: ‘How can digital tools like Google for Education improve student engagement and teaching practices in a low-resource school context?’ Students and their teachers participated in pre- and post-surveys, classroom observations and teacher interviews.

The intervention introduced a set of cloud-based tools under : Google classroom for managing assignments, Google docs and slides for collaborative projects, Google forms for quizzes and assessments, and Chromebooks supplied via  to enable device access. This initiative was not a top-down government scheme but rather a grassroots collaboration between the school, Tech Valley and a group of motivated educators. Tech Valley is an official Google for Education partner in Pakistan, supporting schools to adopt digital tools. In this sense, it reflected what Seyfang and Smith (2007) describe as ‘grassroots innovation’, community-led solutions emerging from civil society, often in response to local challenges and resource constraints.

Transformative impact

Despite limited infrastructure, several positive outcomes emerged:

• improved student engagement (greater enthusiasm, particularly in STEM subjects)
• enhanced instructional confidence (over 90 per cent of teachers expressed increased confidence post-intervention)
• collaborative learning gains (group projects became more dynamic, encouraging peer review and co-editing).

These improvements emerged from teachers’ survey responses, classroom observations and post-interviews. These results align with broader research on how even small-scale technological interventions can boost learner-centred pedagogies in constrained environments (Bremner et al., 2022).

Challenges: Systemic gaps that persist

While digital learning brought many benefits, it also revealed persistent systemic gaps such as:

• Frequent electricity and internet outages disrupted lessons.
• Some students copied material online, raising integrity concerns.
• National exams remain paper-based, so teachers worried that digital learning might not align with standardised tests.
• Some tools, like Google Docs, lacked features for science and maths work.
• Screen fatigue and heavier bags increased physical strain for younger students.

Addressing these gaps is essential for stronger digital learning.

Teacher motivation: The often-overlooked infrastructure

‘Innovations emerging from the Global South remind us that resilience and human connection are often the most powerful drivers of educational change.’

What drove the success of this pilot was not simply the technology but the human infrastructure surrounding it. Teachers drew on their experiences during the Covid-19 lockdowns to adapt to digital tools. Informal peer mentoring emerged as a vital process for troubleshooting and morale-boosting.

Implications for wider audiences

Though rooted in Pakistan, this case offers lessons for developing economies:

• Equity strategies must move beyond simply providing equal access; they must address the distinct needs, challenges and readiness of disadvantaged groups to ensure that all learners can fully benefit and succeed.
• Teacher involvement and peer networks are key to successful technology adoption.
• Assessment reform is essential to align pedagogy with evaluation.
• Cross-sector partnerships can drive innovation where government support is limited.

For researchers, educational practitioners and policymakers, such comparative cases deepen understanding of what meaningful, inclusive educational innovation can look like across diverse contexts.

Conclusion: Learning beyond borders

Modest digital interventions can empower teachers and engage learners. Yet, they are no substitute for addressing deeper systemic gaps in infrastructure, policy and professional development. Innovations emerging from the Global South remind us that resilience and human connection are often the most powerful drivers of educational change.

References

Bremner, N., Sakata, N., & Cameron, L. (2022). The outcomes of learner-centred pedagogy: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Development, 94, 102649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102649  

Norman, A. (2023). Educational technology for reading instruction in developing countries: A systematic literature review. Review of Education, 11(1), e3423. ÌýÌýÌý

Seyfang, G., & Smith, A. (2007). Grassroots innovations for sustainable development: Towards a new research and policy agenda. Environmental Politics, 16(4), 584–603.

Tauson, M., & Stannard, L. (2018). Edtech for learning in emergencies and displaced settings: A rigorous review and narrative synthesis. Save the Children.