scope:

The use of information and communications technology (ICT) in education immediately garnered importance with the inception of the millennium development goals (MDGs) outlined by the United Nations (UNs) in 2000 and carried forward with Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) in 2015. The outbreak of COVID-19 disrupted the entire education system where schools around the world were compelled to adopt e-education (online education or remote education) as an alternative means for continued learning. This document examines the existing standards, policy guidelines, and toolkits to determine their efficiency and sufficiency for a new imagined modality of teaching and learning. Apart from those of the UNs Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), standards, guidelines, and toolkits from Nepal, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom (U.K.) are compared against ten of the most essential operations for effective e-education. The ten most essential components of e-education are broadly divided among six priority areas as follows:

• Digital literacy frameworks and standards.

• Effective teaching, learning, and administration for e-education.

• Digital infrastructure and connectivity.

• Remote learning quality, outreach, and affordability.

• Localization of digital content and delivery.

• Inclusive technology, solutions, tools, and resources.

The comparison between low-income and high-income economies in their implementation of remote learning has provided important insights for contemplation in redesigning the education of the future. Using a comparative analysis, this document provides useful recommendations for the effective implantation of inclusive and equitable e-education. They are as follows:

1. There is a dire need to improve national digital skills, digital competency, and the digital literacy rate.

2. The development of all human resources is necessary for the effective implementation of ICT in education, including the ICT industry, which can help develop local digital content and platforms.

3. There is a huge need for governments to invest in digital infrastructure and connectivity. Support from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and UNESCO must focus on disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

4. National governments and other stakeholders must find strategies to alleviate digital poverty. E-education and remote learning can barely be effective if the students do not have access to learning devices. All forms of the digital divide must be bridged.

5. E-education provides flexibility in learning; a wide range of contents available freely on web portals can be used for teaching and learning. But it is also necessary that e-education fully incorporates national curricular guidelines for the long-term goal.

6. Monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of e-education at every stage must be carried out with special attention given to learning outcomes, meaningful engagement, and participation of students.

7. Inclusive e-education policies, tools, and platforms must be developed. No one-especially, marginalized and vulnerable children, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and children with special needs- should be left out of e-education. The policies and platforms must cater to the needs of all children to accommodate personalized learning.

8. More awareness of the importance of ICT in education is needed for people in low-income economies so that they are motivated toward the modern approach of digital pedagogy.