EdTech is struggling- but that’s not the real problem

We are living in turbulent times. Geopolitical and economic instability, weakening trust in democratic institutions, and a growing mismatch between workforce needs and educational outcomes.

Education is no longer an area of soft policy, it is a core pillar of our resilience, security, and competitiveness. In this reality, European EdTech is struggling.

But that’s not really a problem, that’s only a consequence of something much more important.

Across Europe, basic literacy and numeracy are declining, while digital skills gaps widen. At the same time, education budgets are cut. On top of that, digital skills are being reduced to simplistic debates about screen time with bans on pedagogical tools being introduced in country by country. Digital education and digital skills are quietly being erased from curricula.

I am not arguing that EdTech is the solution, EdTech cannot and should not, alone solve these challenges - but it is a part of the equation.

European EdTech companies are small, fragmented across languages and curricula and deeply embedded in the realities of local classrooms, board rooms or in the manufacturers staff room, for that matter.

They support learners with dyslexia to learn to read, reduce teacher workload through smart tools, and enable engagement and motivation in new ways.

EdTech makes learning accessible during our lifelong learning journey, juggling jobs, families and learning. And yet these tools, when proven effective, when pedagogically grounded - are being withdrawn.

When policy reduces digital pedagogy to screen time, it is these innovators and entrepreneurs who are first to fall. And they are falling. Not because their products failed, but because the political climate made their markets vanish. It’s not fair, to them nor the learners.

We are seeing established publishers downsizing their digital development. Smaller, innovative  companies are leaving markets or disappearing all together.

We see this all over Europe. Startups not making it, is part of the game. But what we see now is years of innovation, built on public investment, private risk, and personal sacrifice by entrepreneurs closing their businesses.

Europe risks losing not just companies, but even more important, capacity, and the ability to develop and apply the best European technology available. The result are learners left without the new tools that actually help them with their learning struggles.

Can we afford to ban EdTech tools that increases learning, because of a populist trend? With that said, yes, there are examples when edtech doesn’t do the job, and they should go. But the ones that do?

This is a strategic mistake. The world is moving forward. AI is moving forward. Big tech is moving forward. The need for digital skills, democratic resilience, and lifelong learning will only grow.

We need all the resources at our disposal to solve this challenge. Books to stimulate the joy of reading, laboration equipment to give STEM-learning body, pens, papers and education technology that are used intently and mindfully by teachers.

Do we really believe we can navigate an AI-driven world, a fragmented media landscape, and an evolving labour market by offering learners less?

EdTech from and for Europe. Read it again. EdTech from and for Europe.

It’s a slogan, but it also holds a promise on understanding what we in Europe need, and what European EdTech can and should provide.

The question we now need to ask ourselves is: Do we want that?

Jannie Jeppesen, Chairwoman European EdTech Alliance