“If we think about the progress of getting people out of extreme poverty, it is really impressive. But it is actually a much slower trend then what we have seen in the spread of digital technology. The speed with which mobile phone ownership has spread around the world, access to bank accounts, biometric identification cards, people getting online – these trends are happening even faster. We are seeing 100-300 million people each year getting access to a phone or biometric ID for the first time. These trends in getting people digitally connected. . .are progressing at such speed that they’re starting to reach some of the poorest people in the world. Digital technology is changing what it means to be poor because it’s bringing poor people out of the margins.”- Laurence Chandy

“The role of governments will continue to be central in improving education. At the end of the day, they’re the only ones who have the duty and the mandate to care about the poorest of the poor. But they will more and more have to partner with organizations from the private sector, the philanthropic community and the non-profit community to try to reach the most marginalized kids for education.  Governments can set an enabling environment that lets these sets of actors bring their creativity, their new way of approaching intractable problems into a space where they’re given the ability to scale up their work.” -Rebecca Winthrop

In this week’s episode of “Intersections,” Laurence Chandy, fellow in the Global Economy and Development program, and Rebecca Winthrop, senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education, discuss progress toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals of ending poverty and achieving education for all, and how digital technologies can be harnessed in that pursuit. Also, Winthrop and Chandy addressed the tools needed to reach the last 10% - those most marginalized.  

Show Notes

What Works in Girls' Education: Evidence for the World's Best Investment

Millions learning: Scaling up quality education in developing countries

Connecting the poor is the best hope for ending poverty

Disrupting development with digital technologies

With thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, Carisa Nietsche, Sara Abdel-Rahim,  Brionne Smith, Eric Abalahin, Fred Dews and Richard Fawal.

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