A recent study has shown that simple mobile phone programs can help children continue learning even when schools are closed due to major emergencies like disease outbreaks, extreme weather, or natural disasters. Researchers tested this approach across five countries — India, Kenya, Nepal, the Philippines, and Uganda — using large-scale randomized trials. They found that adding a weekly, 20-minute one-on-one phone call to text messages significantly improved basic math skills among students. Children who received personalized phone tutoring learned roughly three times more than those who didn't, and the program cost only $11 per child. For every $100 spent, it provided the equivalent of 3.6 years of high-quality schooling, making it one of the most cost-effective education strategies ever evaluated. More than a quarter of the world’s population lives in countries where education can be disrupted by political, health, or climate-related emergencies. A recent report estimated that over 222 million children experience regular interruptions in their schooling, which limits their learning and worsens the global learning crisis. In low- and middle-income countries, fewer than half of children can read a simple story or perform basic math. When schools close, education systems need quick, affordable, and flexible ways to keep children learning. While internet access is limited in many regions, mobile phones are widely used. Researchers turned to mobile phones as a tool to deliver education during emergencies, since most households in low-income countries have access to mobile networks, even if they lack internet. To test whether a single mobile-based education strategy could work across different parts of the world, researchers conducted a coordinated trial across five countries. Between December 2020 and July 2022, more than 16,000 households with primary school students participated. Students were randomly assigned to different groups to compare the effectiveness of various remote learning methods. The control group received no remote support, while the SMS-only group got weekly text messages with math problems and reminders. The phone call and SMS group received both the text messages and a weekly 20-minute one-on-one tutoring session. During these calls, instructors assessed each child’s progress and tailored lessons to their specific needs, rather than following a standard grade-level curriculum. The results showed that combining weekly phone calls with text messages led to substantial improvements in basic math skills across all five countries. On average, students in the phone tutoring program gained 0.321 standard deviations in learning — three times the average gain of other education interventions. The program also led to a 92% increase in students who could solve division problems and improved performance in more advanced math, such as fractions. Uganda and the Philippines saw the most significant gains, with students in Uganda even catching up on lost learning from the pandemic. The program worked equally well when delivered by government teachers or NGOs, suggesting it could be widely implemented through public education systems. Now, the approach is being used in Karnataka, India, to support learning during the school year and keep children connected when monsoon rains force school closures.