Zambian children are gaining access to education and curriculum through an “e-learning,” curriculum provided via the latest internet resources. This is possible as a result of expanding internet access and emerging business strategies in developing countries such as Zambia.
AfriConnect Development and Cambridge University are creating initiatives to use e-learning across the African continent. The result, iSchool, aims to improve the standards of education, increase the degree of internet connectivity, and increase access to quality education and teacher materials among the urban and rural poor of Zambia. According to iSchool statistics, 85% of teachers in Zambian community schools are untrained. iSchools address obstacles including a shortage of learning materials, unavailable educational infrastructure for a growing population, and an insufficient amount of trained teachers. In addition, the iSchools provide a solution for young girls that have been unable to access education due to common cultural or societal limitations, early marriage, or pregnancies. Zambia’s iSchool program includes 5,500 primary school lessons, a one-year training curriculum for teachers, and an adult literacy program available to anyone who purchases a tablet. The business strategy is to establish a sustainable model that will supply funds for commercial interests and re-investment into the ongoing development of the iSchools.
The iSchool startup, founded in 2011 by British serial entrepreneur Mark Bennett, is the first in the world to bring e-learning to vernacular languages (iSchool curriculum is available in eight local languages as well as English for grades 1-7). According to Bennett, “We’ve taken the entire Zambian primary curriculum, mapped every single subject and every single grade, and created a very detailed lesson plan for the teacher for every single lesson.”
With the growth of iSchools, as the demand for access to the internet and educational resources increases in Zambia, the potential for the children of the African continent is limitless.
Creative Commons Love: Oxfam International on Flickr.com
Written by Melody Chiang