Maktab Khanagee (Homeschooling)

Our solution is to make an online library using blockchain that teaches about using technology and educates on other social, environmental, and economic issues in the Persian context.

Our solution is to develop the first-ever online library containing English and Persian books for legitimating the culture of reading by using blockchain. The library comprehensively includes audiobooks, comic books, picture books, all related to social, technological, environmental, and economic topics aiming to improve a student’s literacy for early prevention, fostering critical thinking, and enabling learning opportunities regardless of accessibility to school or extensive tuition. The program serves Schools of the deaf and blind using sign languages. They will get trained on accurately using the gadgets for increasing students' performance and learning quality. Through consistent mentor-ship and feedback and after getting familiarized with the application, a competition will be organized among students on prototyping solutions that enhance learning qualities using technology (the resources they ask for will be provided). The application will be designed, implemented, and evaluated with students themselves and will be made available offline through the SMS system. This allows any student to ask questions and get detailed answers in SMS form. It will integrate a mental health service system for tackling exams/other stress hindering their potential, and an online tutor regularly answering questions and explaining concepts using SMS/video calls.

3.7 million children (60% women) are out-of-school in Afghanistan and the country doesn't enjoy stable electricity. Only 20% of Afghans use the internet and only private schools have the privilege of using computers. This results in a disparity in equal pay and the absence of digital literacy affecting generations. Under the Taliban rule, girls aren't allowed to go to school and there is an urgent need for resources to continue their education. Most often, due to political unrest and the nonexistence of resources, teachers lack the expertise and knowledge to practically teach computer lessons, and the highest level of digital literacy someone might know is typing or superficially using Microsoft word. There is a hunger for learning but no resources to meet their needs. The use of the internet and technology is highly unknown in schools. The austerity is doubled for students living with a disability as no attention is given to enhancing the quality of basic education leave alone focusing on digital literacy. Due to overpopulated classes, a majority of students don't comprehensively learn school teachings especially those with special learning needs. This disrupts the workforce, systems, and policies and propels them to follow the complex bureaucracy algorithm, and leaves technology untouched in the context. Little is known to people about the internets application in arts, designing, learning, due to war, lack of funding and resources, theft of funds, child marriage, poor economy, untrained workforce, and a fragile education system.

Our target population is girls (5 schools), and Schools of the deaf (1 school). Deaf students will be taught using sign language. Girls have been deprived of their rights for years. Because of the uncomprehensive education system, all of them lack the skills to effectively use the internet and mostly work in labor after school, leaving less time to learn basic skills. This affects in the long term as even after marriage, they can’t exercise freedom over their properties and are mostly controlled by male counterparts. Under the Taliban’s rule, they aren’t allowed to go to school, restricting opportunities for them. Deaf students are only taught simple reading and writing, leaving their abilities unused. Our innovation practically uses their skills for innovating the first online library for children in schools that not only serves them but innovates a new and scalable approach for all Persian students. Our comprehensive curriculum covers topics like financial literacy, coding, digital art, Microsoft applications, climate issues, gender equality, etc all of which are highly necessary for today’s working systems. Combined with online tutorship in English, Persian, and Pashto language, and mental counseling, our approach cater to all their needs for reaching their full potential. This creates jobs for them, helps them to make informed decisions, encourages them to use technology for social good, and fosters their critical thinking.  

We’ve been working for advancing education for 4 years and conducted activities ranging from community awareness to infrastructure rebuilding. We’ve always identified the low attention given to digital literacy because of a lack of funding and resources. Even students in the capital grow up knowing little about the virtual world. We’ve conducted research in 15 schools to report on the substandard quality of education they receive and lack of access to the internet is one of the reasons behind it. We conducted assessments among 2000 students and 100 teachers out of which only 20 students and 5 teachers possessed basic skills and none of them could use simple coding. They stated the main reason being poverty, lack of resources, and skills. The school principal complained about the costs of digitizing the school, although it reaps benefits. We then hosted a meeting with 5 principals, 10 teachers, and 10 students on identifying their needs which made us propose this solution based on their feedback. Although using high-tech solutions is possible, it won’t considerably impact people due to power cuts and internet connectivity. We’ve already connected with the Ministry of information and technology and the ministry of education that will provide us with trainers and age-appropriate materials and to cater to the special needs of weaker students, we’ve planned after-hour classes.

As digital literacy is a completely foreign word in Afghanistan, and solutions like this are rarely conceptualized, our work will be prototyped in 5 of the most under-resourced schools including School of the Dead Our programs are for students in grades K-12, impacting 8000 students. 30 teachers will receive training for delivering educational content using the internet. The schools and teachers have already been determined and have shown interest in implementing such initiatives. So far we've been able to conceptualize a model for solving issues like power cuts and internet connectivity using solar energy in these 5 schools. Our past efforts in using these strategies have proven effective in enabling digitalization on a small scale in Sheena village. Based on our research, consultations, and experiments, we came up with an accessible, comprehensive, and practical solution. Even in our discussions with parents and company employees, we noticed the paramount importance they give in investing in digital literacy in school as a bonus skill for higher salaries. Having connections with 2 NGOs, Orygen Global, Women Deliver, the ministry of education, and the ministry of technology gives us an opportunity to collaborate and catalyze change.

Our solution uses application software and blockchain for securing the first-ever child-friendly and online library using LMS systems like Lucidea integrated library systems. We’ve already used solar energy for tackling power cuts and accessing the internet in 5 schools. Within the application, discussion forms will be available for exchanging ideas along with options to recommend books to other people. These words are completely unknown in Afghanistan, being the first attempt to bring the internet to schools where infrastructures are hardly repaired. We'll focus on a range of software like hypermedia information retrieval systems, using classroom PCs and projectors. Our aim is to shift the teaching method from the traditional book and pen style to a more interactive, and comprehensive approach and integrate presentations, informative videos, and multimedia libraries in the educational curriculum's. Our approach is centered around the inclusion of students themselves in developing the library. The library includes 20 audio-books, 100 reading books, 20 comic books, 20 movies, and 30 audiovisual, and frequent assistance in translation of word/meaning, and tracking the right book, taking a holistic approach to enhancing literacy through technology. We'll use 5 games, quizzes, and prizes for engaging students and send reminders if we note prolonged absence using a wide range of systems i.e app developing software E-prints V3.

Our solution is intended to directly impact 9000 students in the first year. This is due to our strong connections with different schools in Afghanistan. As we've worked for years in the field, we know who and how to best serve the students and the academic staff. Schools are densely populated, with each school accommodating 900+ students. As our target is 6 schools, we speculate 9000 students in the pilot stage. Additionally, 30 teachers will be trained on effectively using the application in these 6 schools. Indirectly, they will reach their families and own children as well. This summed with indirect beneficiaries that students will reach will be an additional 18000 people benefiting from or using the application in the initial stages. If we're given the opportunity to scale, the application will be introduced to schools within Afghanistan, Iran, and Tajikistan all of which are Persian-speaking countries. We also plan to reach an estimated 500 Afghan refugees outside the country to give them a sense of home and foster the culture and language they belong to. Apparently, a handful of barriers will be overcome using technology.

Through the application, we intend to enhance learning opportunities for students and foster peace-building within the school system. The books are designed to teach about social, environmental, technological, and economic issues that are eye-opening, hence making them agents of change We aim to step forward towards digitizing 5 school systems and providing a higher level of education by developing an online library for students. This is increasingly needed amidst the political upheaval, as girls are deprived of their rights to education. The application is designed to cater to the needs of students with disabilities using audiobooks/sign language and reaches 18500 people directly/indirectly. We’ve engaged stakeholders and used feedback mechanisms for evaluating what've we instilled in students' minds. Furthermore, we plan the application to be inclusive of children's perspectives and to shine a light on how technology and the internet can be used for increasing accessibility and enhancing learning quality. This provides resources for teachers to assign students on thinking beyond the box and track relevant contents. It also prepares them to indulge in income-generating activities like freelancing, blogging, etc. Consequently, our aim is to promote visual learning, interaction with digital media, and widen the resources for teachers and students to acquire knowledge. In addition, we seek to pioneer an entertaining and comprehensive approach to strengthen the educational curriculum and introduce students to social/environmental issues at an early, hence emphasizing early intervention and embracing the marginalized population, bridging distances using technology.

Our progress will be regularly monitored and evaluated using a structured plan. Our indicators are the number of students using/downloading the application using a downloads-per-day chart, number of students reached with the applications, number of people using it outside Afghanistan, number of teachers using it, number of times our books were read and used, number of stakeholders involved and number of schools reached, number of stakeholders attending meetings and number of field visits conducted to schools. Our methods of verification include feedback surveys in the design, implementation, and evaluation stages, using daily active users, retention rates, cohort analysis using an acquisition cohort, bonus metric, and lifetime value. We'll continuously reform the application based on the feedback, and prepare reports on the improvements we made. These will be collected on a daily basis with reports given bi-monthly. The outcomes are developing a multimedia library and engaging 18500 people, increasing access to the internet and integrating it in school systems, including the marginalized population in the innovation, and expanding it to the wider Afghan diaspora. The outputs will be increasing access to educational resources, using a comprehensive approach for teaching, promoting the conservation of society and environment, and meeting with the minister of education, along with UNICEF leaders for promoting the application to other schools. Regular field visits will be conducted to ensure continuity of the application use. 

Barriers include power cuts, illiteracy of people, lack of internet connection to certain areas, and poverty. Although there aren't any legal constraints, political unrest might limit our activities. For tackling power cuts, we'll use solar hubs to provide internet and electricity. We'll provide training to students and teachers on using the application. However, accessibility to rural areas and residents without internet is an issue which we intend to solve by conducting awareness campaigns and promoting the use of technology. Amidst the political upheaval, a financial crisis jolted residents. As such, asking for paid subscriptions hinders accessibility, but as this is a pilot phase, providing it free of charge is a suitable decision. As for the market, the innovation can reap tremendous effects on improving overall literacy and enhancing education quality. With the increasing use of technology, there is an increase in total factor productivity and a decrease in the cost savings in multiple sectors. In order to sustain the project and update the app, financial support will be highly needed which we plan to secure through fundraising and commercializing the application.

With 4 years of experience, we've implemented numerous projects for enhancing learning quality using approaches ranging from training to technology. As a student, I often missed the opportunity of having resources that can help expand my knowledge beyond the school curriculum. This barrier prevents students from reaching their full potential, resulting in lower literacy and higher rates of harmful practices. Our organization is 100% people with lived experiences coming from diverse backgrounds i.e people with disabilities, LGBT, etc. Not only the staff but the beneficiary' perspectives will be taken to cater to their needs. Our work with the Ministry of education and Technology, Women Deliver, Orygen Global, and Rendon group has fostered partnership, built communication/advocacy skills, and the necessary training for making this project a reality. Our collectivist approach in proposing solutions circles around holding regular meetings, consultations, and equal division of work to ensure inclusion and equality are accounted for. Our team has participated in dozens of conferences and fellowships, giving us the know-how spirit using a rights-based approach. With quality education being at the heart of our mission, we've impacted 15 schools, 12000 students, and 95 teachers with capacity-building workshops, introductory seminars, competitions, on technology, SRHR, and mental health, taking a holistic approach to improving learning. We’ve connected 5 schools to the internet using solar hubs, giving us a suitable base for implementing this solution and expanding our work beyond. With advisors from Kabul University and MOE, we ensure that even the smallest step is taken with competence. Our strong connections with villagers and religious leaders prepare us to deal with opposition. Our evaluation surveys talk for themselves, with 98% of beneficiaries declaring our program being extremely helpful that's a product of our merged human and technological abilities. 

We are partnering with the Ministry of education and the Ministry of Information and technology in Afghanistan. We’re collaborating with 2 NGOs in Afghanistan to contextualize our innovation, namely Afghanistan's social society workers and the Sanayee development organization. For scaling the application, we're partnering with the Sarbaz Solh organization in Iran. Our future collaborations will be with Women deliver, focusing on enhancing literacy about sexual and reproductive health and rights using technology, and Orygen Global emphasizing mental health. 

Our plans for the future are precisely planned towards enhancing educational facilities and improving learning quality for students particularly women and the marginalized population. Equality for all people and integrating intersectionality using education has been our focal focus area as its key to empowerment. However, there is a great disparity in educational attainment with the cross-sections of gender and wealth. Taking this into account, our activities are designed towards championing the rights of women and marginalized populations through enforcing a range of sectors including technology, SRHR, and mental health. Given the opportunity to scale, we will improve the online library by adding, writing, and encouraging the writing of more books that educate about a wide range of social, environmental, and economic topics. This also includes creating learning videos that teach school subjects. This is of paramount importance given that girls aren’t allowed to go to school and most are impoverished by the costs or labor. We will also integrate a more responsive mental health service to tackle exam stress and/or address any mental conditions that might be an obstacle to their performance and educational attainment. Furthermore, we’ll incorporate an online tutorship to provide additional help for students with speech and mental difficulties, or any other valid reason i.e labor, poverty, early marriage, etc that hinders their learning process. Additionally, our plan is to market our application in other Persian-speaking regions. Noting that there are 34 provinces in Afghanistan, 31 in Iran, and 4 large provinces in Tajikistan, our plan for sustainability and scalability is planned for at least 3-5 years. With our connections with WADI Iran and Sarbaz Solh, we would effortlessly arrange our activities in Iran. For Tajikistan, we’ve agencies that will help to build connections with schools. In the long term, we also plan to structure the application for including books in other international languages, primarily in English and french. We will hold essay and writing competitions, quizzes, and learning competitions for students primarily focusing on advancing technology for social, environmental, and economic issues. We further plan to expand the application by offering online courses in the local language and providing the resources for students to be agents of change themselves. Our expertise in this area circles around the knowledge we’ve gained through our experiences with the government and the international community, along with our own lived experiences that give us the skills and tools that are necessary for leading the way. Our accomplishments include a nomination for the international children's peace prize, the John lewis award, and the best project of the year award from the Ministry of education. This also includes invitations to dozens of speaking panels including the Glocal international teen conference, national conferences, writing blogs for United for Global mental health, and more. That being said, we doubtlessly can train, run, win and lead the way for catalyzing change.