Today David Maynier and Salie Abrahams spoke at the Injini Edtech week conference hosted in Cape Town. They highlighted the need for viable and sustainable solutions to the challenges the WCED faces (teacher retirements, enormous budget cuts, mass provincial migration and infrastructure challenges) as it looks to deliver quality education for every child.
Effective partnerships are the obvious solution, and it's clear that the Edtech sector has a vital role to play here. And yet as we’ve learned in other sectors, getting public private partnerships right is not easy.
To help us think about how we do this more effectively, two problem statements were presented to the group for discussion:
1. How do we foster trust in EdTech solutions and equip educators for effective implementation?
2. How can we leverage public-private partnerships (and EdTech in particular) to make Government’s job easier?
I’ve had some engagement in EdTech as a school level implementor and an advisor to a very exciting startup – but am not an expert. However, as I listened to the discussions today, I was struck by how similar the challenges EdTech faces are to the challenges faced by non-profits, foundations and corporates looking to support and strengthen the public sector, and therefore how critical it is that we break down silos and work together more effectively.
My reflections on the "ARC" of the journey towards positive and productive partnerships:
Alignment:
- Ensure that the solution you’re offering is contextually relevant and meets a need
- Check that what you’re proposing is in line with government priorities
Relationships:
- Consult broadly and extensively with those most directly impacted by the problem as you develop your solution
- Provide regular feedback and updates on programme implementation and iteration to key partners, collecting their input as you go
- Establish strategic partnerships early on.
o Who are the government officials that need to be aware of and supportive of your programme?
o What level of scale and impact are you looking to achieve, and who therefore are the right funders to support your work?
o What are your strengths and limitations – and who could you partner with in your sector to provide a more streamlined and comprehensive offering that has a greater chance of scale, sustainability and impact?
Credibility:
- Make sure that your solution is evidence/research based
- Build strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks that will provide valid, reliable and accurate data to analyse, derive insights from and drive action
- Where possible, conduct external impact evaluations to measure your impact and provide objective feedback on the strengths and limitations of your programme.
Looking forward to listening and learning more tomorrow!
