EdTech works, but rural Peru still cannot use it

Living in a city or living in the country can mean a significant gap in access to the Internet.

End of 2023: only half of Peru’s rural population could access the Internet…vs. nearly 90% in metropolitan Lima.

Internet para Todos, a Peruvian rural mobile infrastructure operator, is working to close this gap. But it wants to do more. 

Connectivity is the first step; making EdTech a reality for schools in rural areas is the second one. 

Why? Studies show that EdTech tools enable each student to learn at their own pace and level. 

However, EdTech is far from being systemised in Peruvian schools:

• Before the Pandemic, only 6 out of 10 school‑age students had internet access, one of the lowest rates in Latin America.
• A national teacher survey found that nearly 7 out of 10 teachers reported difficulties systematising virtual educational experiences.

Not addressing the EdTech challenge will reinforce inequalities: rural children leave school (approximately 30% of all students) with far weaker skills than urban ones and remain locked out of the modern economy.

High-impact EdTech does not need high-speed internet

Now cross the Atlantic to meet Smile and Learn, a Spanish startup offering a multilingual EdTech platform with thousands of interactive activities for children ages 3-12.

There are over 15,000 gamified activities and features, such as:

• Maths (sums, fractions, decimals), language arts (readings, vocabulary), science, and digital literacy (coding, etc.)
• Languages with bilingual English/Spanish content
• Emotional education (emotions, conflict resolution), multiple intelligences (logical, visual-spatial, naturalistic).
• Inclusivity: Pictograms, adjustable difficulty, and quiet mode in case of autism or ADHD.

An example of activity proposed by the Smile and Learn platform

By leveraging Smile and Learn’s platform, Internet para Todos can enable low-bandwidth access to EdTech for 2.5+ million rural students.​

• Offline mode: Students in 2G/3G areas can download activities without an active internet connection.
• 4G rollout synergy: As Internet para Todos upgrades rural sites to 4G, schools gain real-time interactive learning, boosting engagement in dispersed rural communities.​
• Inclusivity fit: Platform’s adjustable difficulty and Special Educational Needs (SEN) tools (e.g., pictograms for autism) address Peru’s rural teacher shortages and diverse needs.​

From concept to validated rural deployment

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator will specifically support the Internet para Todos x Smile and Learn partnership with one key acceleration service: PoC design & Prototyping.

Through this service, the partnership will be able to build a structured pilot framework to test rural EdTech deployment:

• Define KPIs such as student engagement rates (e.g. 30% increase in activity completion).
• Test hypotheses like validating low-bandwidth access.
• De-risk rollout: Monitor milestones (e.g. pilot in X schools) and align responsibilities (e.g. Internet para Todos: Connectivity; Smile and Learn: EdTech content).

Offline access, teacher adoption, cost per student:  Tested ✅

Internet para Todos (Corporate)	Smile and Learn (Startup)
Validate EdTech impact: Prove that Smile and Learn transforms Internet para Todos’ rural 4G connectivity into digital skills gains and teacher and student acceptance. Confirm technical fit: Demonstrate offline/low-bandwidth feasibility and low cost per beneficiary, enabling scalable rollout across various regions in Peru.	Validate rural fit: Prove platform usability and engagement in low-connectivity Peru, generating learning outcome evidence. Scale to more partnerships: Build a cost-effective impact case for telecom/public-sector expansion