Theory Talks: Data Colonialism and the Politics of Ed-Tech in Bangladesh by Sarzah Yeasmin @diggitmagazine

Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago

Across the Global South, education is increasingly mediated by algorithmic systems and education technology platforms that promise to “democratize access” while simultaneously embedding new forms of surveillance, stratification, and market logics. Bangladesh offers a particularly vivid case: a country with a large youth population, fragmented curricula (Banglamedium, English-medium, and madrasa), and a history of political turbulence around education reform. Here, venture-capital–backed education technology platforms, donor-driven experiments, and public initiatives converge in a rapidly evolving ecosystem.

While these platforms are often celebrated for expanding reach, their integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and business model raise fundamental questions. Do these systems reduce inequality, or do they reinforce hyped-up exam-centric cultures and market imperatives? Who
shapes design decisions—the engineers, the educators, the investors, or the bureaucrats? And how are student well-being, privacy, and autonomy considered when algorithmic governance enters classrooms?

Sarzah Yeasmin addresses these questions through an empirical study of AI-driven ed-tech platforms in Bangladesh, situated within broader theoretical debates on data colonialism, political-economy of education and technology and platform capitalism.

Theory Talks: Data Colonialism and the Politics of Ed-Tech in Bangladesh by Sarzah Yeasmin

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