Repairing and Democratising Distance Education During COVID-19

The following text was written by Abdallah Zouhairi, Associate Researcher at the Hassan II University of Casablanca, and reflects his presentation at our Closing Conference, “Repairing Technology – Fixing Society?” from 13-14 October 2022 in Luxemburg.

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This article traces the sudden importance of the repair sector for distance learning during the COVID-19 health crisis in Morocco. Repair played a role in saving two school years during which distance learning was imposed by lockdowns. Each student was required to have a computer or Android phone to attend classes online on platforms that offer free video conferencing services, such as Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams. In some households, parents had to provide up to two or three terminals, depending on the number of children in school. Faced with such sudden demand, the new market quickly became saturated, and it was then that the second-hand market proved to be an unavoidable recourse for both parents and the state, which wanted to avoid a wasted school year at all costs. However, this second-hand market would not have worked without the activity of repairing computers and mobile phones drawn from a stock of scrap terminals and spare parts which was of no particular value before the lockdown. The tinkering and technical arrangements of repairers also represent important know-how that has contributed to the availability of affordable second-hand products for the underprivileged and even the middle classes in urban and rural areas.

Technological inequality and its impact on distance education during COVID-19

Digital inequality, especially in the Global South, is a widely discussed issue in the literature on the relationship between development and digital technology, and especially inequalities in education and the use of information and communication technologies (Robinson & al., 2015; Ragnedda & Gladkova, 2020; Duma & al., 202; Date, 2021). This digital inequality concerns pupils from disadvantaged areas who suffer the consequences of structural and social inequalities that affect their access to educational content, whether in the context of specific school programmes or extracurricular activities that contribute to their cognitive, mental and personal development. The poverty experienced by several countries in the Global South is mainly seen in rural areas, but it is also present in urban areas, particularly on the outskirts of large cities. In rural areas, electrification has long been an obstacle to children’s schooling. In Morocco, a great effort has been made in this respect, and most rural areas now have access to electricity. Among the objectives of the national programme for the electrification of these rural areas, education was one of the main reasons for the provision of household connections to the electricity grid. However, education in rural areas is still problematic for other structural reasons, in particular the lack of adequate teaching materials.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, like everywhere else in the world, Morocco switched to distance learning to avoid a wasted year for pupils and students. Parents and children were faced with the considerable educational and technological challenge of studying remotely. Mobile smartphone use has developed considerably in Morocco, but mainly among adults. For distance learning, each pupil needed a smartphone or a computer to follow courses and interact in virtual classes. In parallel with this need, a reliable Internet connection and often a higher bandwidth was needed, as several children were often engaged in remote learning in the same household. The quality of the connections had to be such that there were no interruptions and no loss of contact during virtual classes. The market for new smartphones and computers (desktop PCs or laptops) also increased significantly during this period. However, prices were relatively high for many households, with some having to buy equipment for several children. A new computer that can be used for distance learning costs 2,500 dirhams (250 euros), almost the equivalent of the monthly minimum wage in Morocco.

On the other hand, the price of new smartphones has steadily fallen, especially with the entry into the market of low-cost manufacturers such as Xiaomi’s Redmi, which offers smartphones from 1,000 dirhams (100 euros). Whether in rural communities or among low-income households in cities, recourse to the parallel sector of second-hand sales of technological equipment proved to be a lifeline, ensuring that thousands of pupils were not excluded from online education. Second-hand desktop PCs could be bought for as little as 600 dirhams (60 euros), refurbished laptops for 1,000 dirhams (100 euros) and smartphones repaired for resale for just 200 dirhams (20 euros).

From a parasitic sector to a vital activity for education during COVID-19

The informal sector has generally been described as a parasitic sector of the overall economy (La Porta & Shleifer, 2014). Informality has different definitions in different countries (Misztal, 2002). In Morocco, informality defines any production unit that does not keep accounts in official tax and finance registers. Nevertheless, the reality on the ground shows that the so-called official economy functions and even develops thanks to this “marginal” informal sector. Moreover, informality offers an alternative for thousands of people to live and find an occupation they cannot secure in the formally instituted economic system. Morocco’s smartphone and computer repair sector is one of these informal sectors that provide a living for thousands of people who have chosen it either because they were unable to find anything elsewhere or because of the opportunities the sector offers. Despite attempts by some repair shops to establish themselves as formally recognised repairers, the excellent service and low prices offered by informal repairers make them predominant in the repair market. In Casablanca, Derb Ghallef is a flea market famous throughout Morocco for its clustering of informal. The cluster has become a high-tech hub where the best repairers are to be found, together with hackers of locked and encrypted phones. At one time, Derb Ghallef also became a place for reselling stolen smartphones or computers in Morocco or even abroad, but nowadays, repairers and resellers are increasingly cautious because of advances in the traceability of these items. This space also offers an alternative for young people who have not been able to continue their studies, giving them the opportunity to work in a resilient sector despite their exclusion from the education system and the labour market (Khalil, 2008).

Once the announcement was made about distance learning, second-hand equipment dealers suddenly experienced a fierce demand for smartphones and computers. Stocks were soon depleted, and they needed to find products to buy and resell quickly. It was at this point that repairers were called in to help. However, to do this, they had to find “raw materials” to repair and resell. Repairers would search “scrap metal” collections to stock up on broken, encrypted or faulty smartphones and computers.

This previously worthless scrap metal has doubled in price, and unwanted smartphones in scrap metal have regained value. Despite this, repairers were generally able to find enough products to refurbish and repair. Repair techniques consisted of taking parts and components from here and there for repair. In some cases, repairers would clone components from different brands to get a working device, especially for computers. This would result in a PC with a CPU, motherboard, sound card and peripherals all from other PCs found in a scrapyard.

Repair as know-how: the art of giving a second life to faulty objects

The activity of repair, which has made it possible to put second-hand smartphones and computers on the market at low prices, is based on know-how acquired and capitalised on by repairers over time. Surprisingly, most of these repairers do not have any specific technical training in repair.

They learn on the job either by observing other more experienced repairers or by trial and error.

The informal nature of repairers’ work means that results are never guaranteed. The only contract between the repairer and the owner of an object to be repaired is a moral one. The repairers in Derb Ghallef have an excellent reputation and are renowned for their ability to achieve technical feats, particularly in repairing smartphones known for their complexity, such as Apple devices. Although there is a certain degree of competition, like in any profession, there are groups of repairers who exchange spare parts, techniques and know-how. Some repairers keep their know-how to themselves to maintain a position or even a monopoly in the repair market. Since the spread of the Internet, most of these repairers have turned to global smartphone and computer repair forums. Language limitations are circumvented thanks to Google Translate, as most repairers are fluent in Arabic but do not know foreign languages apart from the technical terms they learn through repair practice. Repairers also need to keep up to date with each generation of smartphones or computers. Learning to repair newer devices is often arduous and can involve failure and trial and error. As new models arrive on the market, repairers often stop repairing older models, as the latter waste a lot of repair time and do not earn them any money when repaired and resold.

Repair as an activity is thus a combination of tinkering, ingenuity and skills that serve the continuity of the repair practice. For people excluded or self-excluded from the school system and the so-called formal economy, repair can represent social resilience. During the COVID-19 crisis, this resilience extended to thousands of students who avoided exclusion from the distance learning system thanks to the repair sector, which provided them with smartphones and computers at reduced prices. Repair thus played a role in democratising access to distance education, helping to bridge a digital gap that could have undermined the education of thousands of children in the country.

 

References 

Datoo, A. K. (2021). Digital Divide and Social Inequalities: Sociological Perspectives on Technology and Education. In Innovative Education Technologies for 21st Century Teaching and Learning (pp. 191-198). CRC Press.

Duma, N. M., Mlambo, S., Mbambo-Mkwanazi, S., & Morgan, W. (2021). Digital inequalities in rural schools in South Africa. Open Science Journal, 6(3).

Khalil, J. (2008). Jouteya de Derb Ghallef. “La resilience des exclus” [The resilience of the excluded]. Economia.

Misztal, B. (2002). Informality: Social theory and contemporary practice. Routledge. La Porta, R., & Shleifer, A. (2014). Informality and development. Journal of economic perspectives, 28(3), 109-26.

Ragnedda, M., & Gladkova, A. (eds). (2020). Digital inequalities in the Global South. London, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan.

Robinson, L., Cotten, S. R., Ono, H., Quan-Haase, A., Mesch, G., Chen, W., … & Stern, M. J. (2015). Digital inequalities and why they matter. Information, communication & society, 18(5), 569-582.