Community Learning Spots Programme

The outbreak of COVID-19 has deepened education inequalities due to poor government infrastructures to absorb the “shocks”. Children from poor backgrounds who can not access digital learning are being left out on education. Uganda has embarked on the phased reopening of schools,  but more learners are missing out on education. Others have totally lost hope and hence drop out of school, teenage pregnancies and Gender-based violence are on increase than ever hence for need responsive community learning "spots". 

The project will support volunteer teacher groups with digital devices to organize learning spots in target communities where learners can freely and safely access technology hence improving their digital literacy skills, education outcomes and preparing them for future work.

The project will connect teacher groups with children's families to promote inclusive learning environments where stakeholders can collaborate in transforming education through community-driven learning during school and recess or " holidays"

The impact of COVID-19 on education systems, learners and families calls for "Reimagining Education" by implementing community-driven learning solutions to enable diverse learners to access equitable(quality) education and learning opportunities 

In Uganda, 15 million learners were forced out of school due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With the phased reopening of schools, more than half the population have not been able to be absorbed in the school programme. Parents alike are financially strained due to the impacts of COVID-19 on family businesses Homeschooling remains the next option where their children can safely learn from the comfort of their communities where they live and play but even then,  poor families and parents with many children in Uganda.

Globally,  Education and learning have shifted from the classroom to the virtual in more developed nations. In less-developed nations, it is still a hurdle and struggle for the fittest.

Access to the internet by learners is hard due to the cost and lack of knowledge by both children and their parents in applying technology to learn. This makes the education crisis acute where up to 80% of students in Africa do not have access to the internet and distance learning out of reach for many.

The project will identify: Community Learning Spots through peer-to-peer teaching. Teacher volunteer teams  will be supported with digital devices to reach out to learners of the same class(level) in target communities. Community learning spots will be mobile in nature to enable teacher groups to reach out to more children and learners on a specific schedule(for instance one week in one neighbourhood/school/parish) 

The community Learning spots will be selected in collaboration with local leadership at the grassroots who will mobilize parents and learners to access services. There will be inception meeting(s) at every learning spot/centre to allow parents, children and other stakeholders to contribute their ideas that will make the project more aligned to the needs of both learners and parents.

Learners will be supported to access lessons from the comfort of their neighbourhoods/ communities/homes and be trained together with their parents(for lower primary learners) in digital literacy to enable them to access learning opportunities and prepare for future work9for high school students).

The solution serves children and learners  whose parents have not not been able to return them to school due to COVID-19 impact ,school communities, and families  who have no access to internet to allow for distance , and digital learning opportunities.The solution will also serve community of learners who need to stregnthen their knowledge in digital literacy in preparation of future work(career goals) 

As we develop the solution, it is evident that children and learners have not been fully reintegrated in school settings, Early Childhood Development centres are totally closed, standard operating procedures by school and education authorities coupled with the cost of educating children in this period have discouraged low-income earners from taking their children back to school.

The solution will provide free learning spots within communities and /or selected homes where volunteer teacher groups can interact with children and parents on the best way to continue education. The volunteer teacher groups will train learners and parents in digital literacy so that they can access lessons online, improve on their learning outcomes hence preparing for future work. Learners in secondary education will be supported to create learning groups and share knowledge based on their needs, while primary learners will be supported to access free classroom lessons as they develop their digital skills at that level.

Furthermore, the project will develop and design a digital learning platform where learners, teachers and parents alike can contribute in consultation with available technologies. This will ensure sustainability beyond the project implementation.

At the community level: the project will annually reach at least 100 learners from the primary level and 100 from secondary schools especially girls and empower them with digital literacy skills and other applications to enable them to access learning in and outside their school environments

At school level: the project will serve 5-6 schools(with over 1200 learners per year) and organize student and teacher groups to benefit from the project activities

 Whereas children from wealthy families shifted to distance and digital learning, the vulnerable, and disadvantaged learners were left behind. Moreover, the reopening of schools has been slow-paced, too expensive and uncertain for poor parents taking their child(ren) back to school.

There is in need to radically respond to the current education inequalities where students have still shown resilience in pursuing their education goals amidst such hurdles as we reimagine education that fits the needs of the 21st century through community-driven learning. 

Empowering vulnerable learners with digital skills and supporting their access free internet as they learn will enable them to compete with learners from wealthier families/communities as they pursue their learning and educational goals

The stage of development is accurate because it is an idea is time-sensitive given the impact of the current pandemic on education and learning of children /students globally. The idea comes at a time when education needs reimagining to overcome the looming impact of prolonged  closure of schools,lack of access to internet by most students in the community which support creativity and competence building in preparation of future work. 

When schools were forced to close, many parents and educators did not imagine, it would take a whole to reopen. But well, it would take more than just a year to see once a vibrant sector returning back to its norms. Whereas digital learning was adopted and advised, it would only benefit a few students from wealthier families.

Soon or later home-learning through a television sets as Government had directed would not be sustained enough as there was no prior preparation of both students and instructors and media houses- and other stakeholders to see this option work.

But for more physical teacher-student guided interactions, the shift is eventual or gradual. This is the genesis of the solution: one that will promote peer-to-peer interactions among  instructors, learners and parents to achieve equity in education by adopting digital learning in a community setting rather than a hybrid setting that has not prepared beneficiaries to gain  skills and knowledge in using digital learning platforms.

The solution is  catalytic as it gives more opportunities to  professionally trained volunteer teachers to serve in their communities ,reduces parent expenditure and promotes collaborative learning between education stakeholders,while ensuring safety and freedom of learners .

Global Learning has trained 50 SDGs Ambassadors  -all young people from different professions working to influence community change where they work and live based on the SDGs of their choices.

With 6 full-time staff and 10 part-time volunteers, GLS has established many learning points about causes it cares about.

GLS has a team of committed diverse young enthusiastic and passionate professions in different files of study from tertiary institutions based in Uganda.

They understand the contextual issues behind the causes we care for. With our Youth Ambassador Model, we have trained 50 SDGs Ambassadors from different regions of the country and we keep rolling the same programme to other youth that needs capacity building and mentorship on sustainable challenges. with a staff and a workforce committed to bringing about lasting change in their communities, I am confident that my leadership of the programme will yield positive results in the communities we aim to serve.

At GLS we value diversity and Inclusion. To this effect, we have designed policies, programmes and embraced an organization that allows diversity to thrive.

As part of our commitment, we promote diversity & Inclusion at the institutional level and social level where we work with different stakeholders to build and strengthen CSOs on achieving diverse and inclusive organizations.

see our  signature programme on Diversity & Inclusion project and work with young people from diverse backgrounds here .

The problem facing education need global collaboration and as such applying to MIT solve will enable me to access resources both capital and human to provide a solution to the existing education inequalities .

Mentorship, coaching and advice are my priority goals as well in applying to MIT and establishing lasting networks and friendships of like-minded people in confronting world's biggest challenges in education.

All MIT past and present partners in whose work align to SDG4 such as ASA prize for equitable Education