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Bringing EdTech to Edge Schools
What is RESPECT?
RESPECT — the Resilient Edtech Specifications Project for Educational Courseware and Technologies — is the Spix Foundation's flagship project to make EdTech work better for LMICs in the Scenarios listed below by:
Implementing the below-listed low-level technologies, and making it easy for courseware developers, Ministers of Education in the LMICs (MoEs), and LMIC- focused Donors to support them.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Addressing EdTech Challenges in Low and Middle Income Countries
The schools, teachers, and students of the Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) — especially in rural areas — do not have fast, cheap, reliable access to the global Internet. Schools, teachers, and students in the LMICs are frequently:
• Entirely offline, due to the global Internet being unavailable, unreliable, or unaffordable;
• Usually online, but unable to afford the cost of Internet data;
• Intermittently online, such that they must operate offline and then sync when possible.
These scenarios are a mismatch with today's EdTech infrastructure. Because of this mismatch, it is more difficult and expensive than necessary to:
• Set up a local, offline school network — often requiring specialized, expensive, and hard-to-maintain equipment; to
• Synchronize the offline school's data with the Ministry of Education's cloud-based software; and to
• Update EdTech software when new versions are released.
More importantly, this mismatch does not address the fact that accessing Internet-hosted EdTech data is expected to cost schools in Africa alone a billion dollars a year according to the UN's 2023 GEM report.
Making EdTech Accessible for all schools
What’s missing in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs) is a set of simple, affordable technologies that can make educational technology (EdTech) work more effectively in areas with limited Internet access. Using cheap, second-hand mobile devices—already widely available in these regions—we can develop these key tools to support schools and teachers better:
• A basic web server to manage local internet traffic.
• A smart data storage system (cache) that saves educational content for easy offline access.
• A system to preload educational apps and all their resources onto devices for use without the internet.
• A local network (mesh network) that connects nearby mobile devices, allowing them to share resources and information.
• A method for syncing stored educational data with the Ministry of Education's online servers whenever a device gets online.
• Compatibility with common educational technology standards (like xAPI and OneRoster) that use these simple technologies effectively.
The good news is that these technologies aren't new. They've been around since the early days of the Internet, when connectivity was slow and costly for everyone. They've proven reliable; they just haven't been adapted to modern mobile devices and educational needs--yet.
By leveraging these tools, we can make EdTech more accessible and affordable, even in the most underserved areas.
The Benefits To You
As a teacher in a rural school, using education apps that are RESPECT Compatible changes everything:
I save 95% on Internet data costs, contributing to billions in savings across Africa.
I only need to sign on once to access all my education apps.
I can securely store student data within our country.
It feels great to see app developers showing respect for teachers like me by making their apps RESPECT Compatible.
In simple terms, the RESPECT Benefit Equation is: Save + Sign On + Secure = RESPECT.
Spix Foundation's Role
The Spix Foundation is supporting the RESPECT Project in several key areas. First, they are establishing the RESPECT Compatible Logo Requirements, which outline the criteria that EdTech apps must meet to be independently certified. This certification allows them to display the RESPECT Compatible logo in their marketing materials, ensuring that these apps adhere to the highest standards.
Additionally, the foundation is developing the RESPECT Code Library, known as libRESPECT. This is a free, open-source library designed to simplify the process for EdTech apps to comply with the RESPECT Compatible Logo Requirements. With libRESPECT, a developer can make an EdTech app RESPECT Compatible in under a month, making it easier and more accessible for developers to integrate these standards into their products.
The RESPECT Partner Program is another significant initiative, aimed at facilitating support for RESPECT among Ministries of Education (MoEs), donors, and EdTech developers. The Spix Foundation will fund the modification of selected open-source EdTech apps to ensure they are RESPECT Compatible. Furthermore, the foundation will finance the creation of case studies, documentation, and improvements to the libRESPECT Code Library, providing resources that help other apps become RESPECT Compatible without needing direct financial support from the foundation. The program also offers co-marketing opportunities for RESPECT Partners, creating a collaborative environment for promoting these standards.
To ensure the project continuously meets the needs of its stakeholders, the Spix Foundation will gather feedback from a RESPECT Advisory Council, composed of CTOs from EdTech companies, MoEs, and donors, as well as through broader community outreach. This feedback will help refine future versions of RESPECT to better serve these groups and make it easier for them to support the RESPECT Project. The foundation is committed to implementing this feedback to enhance the project’s impact.
Moreover, the foundation is developing and maintaining the RESPECT Compatible App Registry, a comprehensive list of all apps currently certified as RESPECT Compatible. This registry will provide a reliable resource for educators, developers, and policymakers to identify and use certified apps.
The Spix Foundation extends its heartfelt thanks to Chimple, the Mobile Education Alliance, and Ustad Mobile for their invaluable contributions to the design and development of the RESPECT Project. Their expertise has greatly influenced the project’s success, and any shortcomings are solely the foundation’s responsibility. A big thank you to all involved!
Join us in our mission to improve EdTech for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) by ensuring they receive the RESPECT they deserve. Together, we can make a significant difference in the quality and accessibility of educational technology worldwide.
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