MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Digital Accelerated Education

One-line solution summary:

Offering alternative pathway to education with main focus to girls using digital devices

Pitch your solution.

According to UNESCO-UIS (2016), there are approximately 263 million children out of school globally. About four million refugee children of school age under UNHCR mandate are out of school. Girls are most affected as they are mainly overwhelmed by the burden of household responsibilities, early marriage threat and poverty.

We are proposing for offering accelerated education in Dadaab Refugee camp, Kenya that can be accessed using digital device.

Accelerated education is more compressed, learner centered approach that is more flexible and age appropriate program. This will promote access to education in accelerated time frame to disadvantaged groups specifically over-age girls and youth excluded from education. The digital tool package is not to usurp or replace the educators but to enhance their work in reaching out to as many learners as possible in a short time frame.

What specific problem are you solving?

Globally only 61 % of refugee attend primary school and many who miss out on education are girls. Dadaab Refugee Complex has 120 students per teacher in pre-schools and 56 pupils per teacher in primary. A good number of school age girls are not in school.

Overage learners who enroll in formal learning system are most likely to drop out. There is also the risk of mixing older and younger children.

Digital Accelerated Education study package offer education placed on the platform that can be accessed by the learner as well as enable self evaluation of learning.

use of digital technology will provide time and location flexibility, it is age appropriate that aims to provide education to disadvantaged, over-age, out of school children and youths particularly those who missed out on or had education interrupted.

It is an appropriated approach to enable the teacher/facilitator reach out to as many children as possible.

What is your solution?

Accelerated education is a teaching methodology that is interactive and learner- centered. This learning material have been compiled and place on the platform that can be used on a mobile phone, tablets, laptop or computer.

The good news is that most young people have or can access a smart phone. The study package does not require internet all the time.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

This solution promotes more gender friendly education system approach so specifically we are targeting girls and youths left out of formal education that are at Dadaab refugee complex.

We understand that most of them missed out of school or their education was interrupted due to conflicts and crisis arising at the Kenya -Somalia Border.

Covid-19 has made the issue even worse because of social distancing which might make many more not to get to learning centers.

Coordinated Digital learning offers a time and location convenient learning approach.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Increase the number of girls and young women participating in formal and informal learning and training

Explain how the problem, your solution, and your solution’s target population relate to the Challenge and your selected dimension.

The use of Digital Accelerated Education as a compliment to formal learning provides time and location flexibility as required by community, teacher and above all both male and female learners to ensure attendance and completion of learning milestones.

This also reduce the barriers to prevent girls and young women in the refugee camp from reaching the key learning milestone by placing the learning process in their hands.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Nairobi, Kenya

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth

Who is the primary delegate for your solution?

Tony Wenani