> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://experience-digital-transform.gitbook.io/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education.md).

# Building the Case for a Digital Public Infrastructure for Education

### A cooperative vision for education development

{% hint style="info" %}
[**ITU publication**](https://www.itu.int/hub/publication/s-wp-dpi-education-2025/), 2024. Authors: Märt Aro, Anna Capps-Jenner, Peter Fagerström, Evelien Renders. Design & illustration by Daniil Golubev. Foreword by Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General. ISBN 978-92-61-39961-0 (electronic) / 978-92-61-39971-9 (EPUB).
{% endhint %}

Millions of schools worldwide remain unconnected, and digital education solutions today remain largely localised — learner data sits in silos, stakeholder coordination is sparse, and innovation depends on chance. This publication makes the case that Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), a paradigm already reshaping identity, payments, and data exchange across government, can do the same for education: a cohesive, interoperable foundation for inclusive, equitable, high-quality learning that helps accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 4.

Drawing on ITU initiatives such as GovStack, the OpenWallet Forum, and Giga — the ITU-UNICEF initiative to connect every school to the internet — the paper explains what DPI for education actually consists of, the value it offers learners, educators, and solution providers, and what it looks like in practice through case studies from India, Mexico, and Estonia.

### What's inside

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Foreword, Executive Summary, and Glossary</strong></td><td>Why ITU is committed to DPI as an enabler of inclusive digital transformation, and the vocabulary used throughout</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education/foreword-executive-summary-and-glossary.md">Foreword, Executive Summary, and Glossary</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>The Case for DPI in Education</strong></td><td>Jamie's story, and the access, quality, empowerment, and equity challenges DPI addresses</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education/the-case-for-dpi-in-education.md">The Case for DPI in Education</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>The Education Digital Ecosystem</strong></td><td>Four interconnected layers, the core DPI services at a glance, and each service explained in depth</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education/the-education-digital-ecosystem.md">The Education Digital Ecosystem</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Beneficiaries, Challenges, and Value Proposition</strong></td><td>What learners, facilitators, and service providers each stand to gain</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education/beneficiaries-challenges-and-value-proposition.md">Beneficiaries, Challenges, and Value Proposition</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Country Case Studies</strong></td><td>DPI for education in practice — India, Mexico, and Estonia</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education/country-case-studies.md">Country Case Studies</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Governance, Conclusion, and References</strong></td><td>Why governments should act as neutral facilitators, the vision restated, and all sources cited</td><td><a href="/experience-digital-transformation/dpi-for-education/background-reading/building-the-case-for-a-digital-public-infrastructure-for-education/governance-conclusion-and-references.md">Governance, Conclusion, and References</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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