Pragmatic pathways with digital education at home for the underprivileged children in Pakistan

58 million children are out-of-school globally despite literacy enhancement programs at international, national and local levels focused on devising ways to educate these children in underprivileged context. Despite their extensive efforts to provide these children a sustainable solution, one out of every five children are still out-of-school. In Pakistan, 63% of the population is under 25 years of age, representing the fourth largest out-of-school population in the world with 48% children not going to the schools. The situation demands re-thinking strategies for education in underprivileged contexts. Continued advancements in learning technologies give hope to innovative learning solutions suited to such challenges. This research probes adaptable and sustainable approaches for providing home-based digital education to out-of-home children in the underprivileged context in Pakistan, suited to local dynamics and limitations. The research design comprises multiple components in a sequential flow including review of ‘stand out’ educational technology initiatives during last two decades; synthesis of practical one-room schoolhouses and multi-grade teaching methods adopted in rural Pakistan; and, comparative analysis of qualitative data collected through interviews with parents of out-of-school children and quantitative data collected from other stakeholders to understand significant factors limiting these underprivileged children from going to school. Based on findings, the research aims to identify local-context guided adaptable and sustainable approaches to optimally educate these underprivileged out-of-school children, providing them with hope for a better future through home-based education technology solutions.