Digital vs Print: Obtaining the best literacy outcomes in complex low-income environments

The appetite for digital education solutions (or ‘EdTech’) has soared under the impact of COVID-19, with students around the world unable to attend on-site schooling. Like many facets of the global literacy challenge, however, limited access to schooling was already a major concern for many communities. Exploring digital solutions for these complex environments is a key driver for Library For All (LFA), an innovative specialist EdTech provider and ‘digital first’ publisher. Field experience, across delivery of multiple international programs, confirms that a digital rollout of books and educational materials makes good sense in communities where access to print materials is unaffordable or otherwise unavailable. This paper surveys current thinking across academic and NGO research activities in support of LFA’s approach. Library For All is a social enterprise of Save The Children Australia.