How can edtech solutions improve learning outcomes for underserved learners in Southeast Asia while being affordable and accessible?

Of the nearly 650 million people living in Southeast Asia, 25.7 percent fall within the school-attending age group. Yet access to quality education remains limited and unevenly distributed across the region, for example, in Vietnam nearly 37 percent of youth at upper-secondary level are out of school. Furthermore, even students who do attend school are not achieving minimum proficiency levels in reading and math with only 78 percent of children completing basic education in the Philippines and 55 percent of Indonesian 15 year-olds considered functionally illiterate. These inequities were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, as an estimated over 150 million children were impacted by school closures in the region. 

At the same time, Covid-19 dramatically transformed the delivery of education through remote learning and accelerated the demand for edtech capabilities—from e-learning apps to language and digital collaboration tools. In fact, it is estimated that 135 million school children across the region would have lost access to education without home-based learning, preventing significant implications for long-term, downstream effects on development and economic opportunities. Still, the pandemic highlighted the drastic digital divide and varying levels of internet penetration in the region including less than 60 percent internet penetration in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Looking beyond the pandemic, technology presents an opportunity to enhance aspects of the education process and complement the work of educators. This potential has been thrust to the fore over the course of the last year, with students around the world reliant on remote learning amidst prolonged school closures—exposing the digital divide that persists. It has also revealed the enormity of the challenge in using technology at scale to support the ‘bottom of the pyramid’ for whom consistent access to reliable learning technologies remains a far-off aspiration.

To that end, the Octava Social Innovation Challenge is seeking accessible and affordable edtech solutions focused on underserved K-12 learners that utilize evidence-based educational content informed by the science of learning and are aligned with curriculum outcomes. The Challenge seeks solutions that are operating in at least one of Octava Foundation’s target countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and/or Vietnam), and address one or more of the following dimensions:

• Increase equitable access to quality learning opportunities through open-sourced, offline, or virtual models, especially for underserved learners in low connectivity environments

• Improve literacy, numeracy, and social emotional learning milestones while supporting a diverse range of learning pace and styles

• Strengthen delivery of STEM and 21st century skills for learners to effectively build work readiness

• Support educators, school leaders, and other system stakeholders including through adaptive learning management systems, tools for personalized instruction, and access to professional development and training opportunities

• Equip teachers, parents, and other stakeholders within the education ecosystem with the digital literacy and confidence needed to engage meaningfully with edtech and enable capacity-building

For more information on the challenges and opportunities for edtech in the Southeast Asia region, download the Challenge White Paper or preview the Executive Summary below.

Extended Deadline: October 18th, 12:00pm [noon] Singapore Time 

Information Session: October 7th, 2021

Who can apply to the Octava Social Innovation Challenge?

This Challenge will be open to anyone from around the world who would like to contribute solutions that leverage edtech in one (or more) of five Southeast Asian countries: Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. At a minimum, solutions must be:

• Currently deployed in at least one of the Octava Challenge’s target countries: Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia.

• At least at the Pilot stage—solutions must have demonstrated usability.

If you have a relevant solution, we hope you’ll apply!

How are we CrowdSolving the Octava Social Innovation Challenge?

1. Sourcing Solutions: Anyone who meets the criteria above can participate in this Challenge and submit a solution. Whether you’re working on a pilot or scaling your program or product, we’re looking for innovators and entrepreneurs with the most promising solutions who can have an impact in our target Southeast Asian countries.

2. Selecting Solutions: Once the submission deadline passes, judging begins. After an initial screening by Solve staff and community reviewers, Challenge judges will select the most promising solutions as Finalists. These Finalists will be invited to pitch their solutions at a pitch event, where judges will then select the winners.

What type of solutions will be accepted to the Octava Social Innovation Challenge?

Solution applications must be written in English. This Challenge considers solutions at various stages of development–from pilot to scale. At a minimum, solutions must have at least a pilot with demonstrated usability in one (or more) of the Octava Challenge target countries: Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia.

• Pilot: A project, initiative, venture, or organization applying its research, product, service, or business model in at least one context or community.

• Growth: An initiative, venture, or organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several contexts or communities, which is poised for further growth.

• Scale: A sustainable project or enterprise working in several contexts, communities or countries that is looking to scale significantly, focusing on increased efficiency.

The most important thing is that your solution addresses the focus of the Octava Social Innovation Challenge. Through open innovation, this Challenge is looking for a diverse portfolio of solutions across stages of development and teams. We believe that there is no one solution to the world’s most complex challenges—and encourage people of all backgrounds to submit their applications.

How will my solution be evaluated?

The judging panel for this Challenge will be comprised of leaders and experts from across industries. After an initial screening by Solve staff and community reviewers, the judges will score the screened solutions based on the following criteria. All criteria will be given equal weight:

• Alignment: The solution addresses the key dimensions of Octava Social Innovation Challenge.

• Potential for Impact: The planned solution implementation has the potential to impact lives in Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and/or Malaysia. 

• Feasibility: Solution implementation is feasible, and the team has a plan for financial sustainability.

• Innovative Approach: The solution includes a new or significantly improved approach to address the Challenge.

• Leadership Ability: The solution is led by a visionary entrepreneur, innovator, or team who have deep expertise on the problem they are trying to solve, the ability to adapt and respond to feedback, along with the necessary skills and track record to improve, expand, or replicate their solution.

• Human-Centered Design and Inclusion: The solution is designed with and for currently underserved and in low resource communities or low resource education settings; the solution team demonstrates proximity to the community, and embodies and addresses diversity, equity, and inclusion through their solution.

• Scalability: The solution can be scaled to affect the lives of more people in Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and/or Malaysia.

• Partnership Potential: The applicant clearly explains how the solution would benefit from the resources that the Octava Foundation and MIT Solve is positioned to provide.

What is the Challenge Timeline?

• July 15, 2021: Challenge Opens

• October 18, 2021: [EXTENDED] Deadline for Applicants to Submit a Solution

• December 10, 2021: Finalists Announced

• January 26, 2022: Pitch Event for Finalists

• February 2022: Winners Announced

What will I receive if my solution is selected?

Finalists will be invited to a pitch event to present their solutions in front of distinguished judges. A total pool of $500,000 in prize funding is available for up to 8 selected winners of the Challenge. Each winning solution will receive a minimum of $50,000. 

In addition to funding, each Challenge winner will participate in a ten-month tailored support program run by MIT Solve and the Octava Foundation that will include: 

• A comprehensive needs assessment to determine what resources and support are most appropriate in order to accelerate your impact

• Access to a network of resource partners, mentors,  and coaches across industries and sectors

• Learning and development modules aimed at refining your business model, theory of change, and plans for scaling

• Invitation to participate in Solve’s annual flagship Solve at MIT event (held in May each year)

• A monitoring and evaluation track to support you in building your impact measurement practice

• A peer-to-peer network to build a community of practice with dedicated spaces to convene throughout the duration of the support program

This report was prepared for Octava Foundation and MIT Solve by Better Purpose to inform scoping discussions about the Octava Social Innovation Challenge. The findings in the report are based on publicly available information, insights from expert interviews and other sources believed to be true. The findings are for general guidance only, represent a point in time and have not been verified independently. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained, Better Purpose, MIT Solve and Octava Foundation take no responsibility and assume no liability for any error, omission or inaccuracy of the information. Users bear their own responsibility for checking facts and no user can use the report as a base for any claim, demand or cause of action; Better Purpose, MIT Solve and Octava Foundation are not responsible for any loss incurred based upon actions taken as a result of the report.

Info Session: October 7th, 9:00am-9:45am Singapore Time 

Register here!