Introduction
The global education landscape is witnessing renewed debates on the efficacy of traditional teaching tools versus modern EdTech solutions. Critics argue that many digital interventions have failed to deliver meaningful learning gains, instead, contributing to excessive screen time without commensurate learning outcomes benefits. While this critique holds merit for much of the EdTech sector, where fragmented implementation and superficial content portals dominate, it is critical to recognise that the tools themselves are neutral. Just as effective pen-and-paper exercises exist, so too do evidence-driven EdTech solutions capable of transforming learning outcomes at scale. This brief advocates for a balanced approach: leveraging proven, research-backed technologies that complement, not replace, teacher-led instruction, while addressing systemic inequities in education.
The Challenge of Ineffective EdTech
A significant portion of EdTech offerings prioritises accessibility to digital content over pedagogical rigour, resulting in “glamorous but useless” platforms that lack alignment with curricular goals or teacher capacity and support. Such tools often function as passive content repositories, failing to adapt to individual learner needs or integrate actionable data into classroom practices. These shortcomings exacerbate existing inequities, as under-resourced schools, already grappling with overcrowded classrooms and varying teacher capacity, adopt technologies that further strain limited infrastructure without delivering measurable results.
The Exception: Evidence-Based EdTech as a Force Multiplier
Amidst this landscape, a small subset of EdTech solutions stand apart, combining adaptive technology, rigorous evidence, and holistic implementation to drive impact. Whizz Education’s Maths-Whizz Tutor exemplifies this approach. Validated through a randomised controlled trial (RCT) commissioned by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the platform nearly tripled learning progress rates in mathematics among marginalised schools during a multi-year pilot in Kenya. By simulating one-on-one tutoring through AI-driven personalisation and real-time data analytics, the tool bridges gaps in teacher capacity and addresses extreme learning disparities (e.g., 4–5-year achievement gaps between rural and urban schools). Essentially, it’s success stems from a systems-first model of alignment to education policies; teacher capacity enhancement; community engagement, and live data transparency to ensure timely course correction and sustainable adoption.
Policy Implications and Recommendations
To avoid conflating all EdTech with underperforming tools, policymakers and educators must prioritise:
- Rigorous Evidence: Demand RCTs or third-party validation to assess efficacy, particularly for marginalised populations.
- Holistic Integration: Combine technology with teacher training, community buy-in, and infrastructure support.
- Data-Driven Accountability: Live learning data enables policymakers to identify and prioritise struggling schools or regions, ensuring resources are directed equitably. Without such tools, systemic inequities often remain invisible or unaddressed.
Conclusion
Dismissing EdTech risks discarding powerful tools for promoting equity. Conversely, unchecked adoption of unproven tools perpetuates wasted investment and learner disengagement. The path forward lies in selective, evidence-based adoption of technologies like Maths-Whizz, solutions that respect teachers as partners, prioritise pedagogical integrity, and deliver measurable outcomes. Such EdTech approaches can transform education systems into engines of opportunity, ensuring that every child, regardless of socioeconomic background, benefits from world-class learning experiences
Equity demands discrimination, not against EdTech as a category, but in favour of evidence-based tools that uplift learners who are furthest behind.
This thought piece is authored by Wangeci Thuo, in response to this speech by Sophie Winkleman. Wangeci is an Education Specialist with twenty (20) years of experience in initiating and managing complex multinational, multi-activity ICT-in-Education projects and programs in Africa. Check out her LinkedIn profile here.