Digital rights mechanisms

regulate government and corporate actors to protect the right to privacy of information and data for all and ensure that the digital spaces provided are safe for everyone.

Transparent data collection and education management have the potential to highlight discrepancies in, for example, budget allocations, learning outcomes, and teacher and educational material shortages. In this way, injustice and inequality are revealed.

Education is crucial for civil society to hold those that control data to account and ensure transparency in data sharing and use. Communities must be informed and empowered so that they can use data to advance demands for accountability. Civil society monitoring groups can use relevant digital tools to promote transparency and accountability in the education system and governance in education.   

For a vibrant digital environment to be accessible and safe for all, including the marginalized, the digital divide in education needs to be addressed. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education has made this gap very clear. Oxfam promotes access to digital platforms for delivering transformative education to all learners, especially girls. However, we remain aware and critical of the inherent risk of education technology capturing education budgets. Online education alone cannot provide a truly transformative education that fosters active citizens. So, while we fight the digital divide, civil society should monitor governments’ austerity measures to save teacher salary costs and school infrastructure by exclusively offering low-cost digital solutions for distance-learning in education.