4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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This initiative is creative and innovative in many ways, and has unique features even amongst ed-tech interventions. The initiative:
• Introduces technology, even in areas where there is no electricity or telephone signal;
• Uses comprehensive, cross-curricular teaching and learning, designed specifically for use in Zambian schools;
• Recognizes the critical role that teachers play, especially for children from poor homes.
• Aims to strengthen and modernize teaching, not to replace teachers with computers;
• Provides effective strategies to help teachers deal with large class sizes;
• Creates renewed enthusiasm for education, encouraging community participation;
• Enables remote monitoring of performance and learning outcomes, providing detailed information to guide oversight and support;
• Delivers low cost connectivity to support education, and also for livelihoods development, and for other services including health.
The program also shows significant innovation in terms of affordability. There are many ways of delivering high quality education – increasing teacher numbers, teacher quality, better infrastructure and learning materials – but they all cost far more than what is available for ordinary schools, serving children of the poor. This initiative has demonstrated that learning outcomes can be improved substantially, in existing classes and with existing teachers, through means that are affordable to African Governments.
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5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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The initiative is a partnership between the Ministry of Education, the Curriculum Development Centre, decentralized education authorities, the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), schools, a range of grass-roots NGOs, and the private sector. The private sector partner is iSchool Ltd, the Zambian company that developed the program. More recently, Microsoft has given support to the program, particularly with regard to developing expanded access to internet connectivity via TV White Space.
At a national level, Ministry of Education maintains oversight of the educational elements of the program, the Curriculum Development Centre monitors and approves educational content, and ZICTA has licenses and oversees matters relating to internet connectivity. In effect, the national level is responsible for strategic oversight and compliance.
The implementation is managed at a district level, led by the District Education Board Secretary (the DEBS, who is the officer-in-charge of the local education authority). Depending on the resource availability in each district, the DEBS identifies schools for inclusion in the program, and manages the introduction of the program to school authorities. The basic training program is run by the private sector partners, who also deliver and install the necessary equipment. The DEBS has authority to oversee the program, which in some cases is shared with grass-roots NGOs. At a school level, the head teachers supervise classroom delivery, and also lead community engagement.
The ‘Smart Centers’ are intended to be run as a small business. It will take some time to create sufficient demand / income, however, and these are currently also subsidised by an international donor.
To date, this program has reached 180,000 primary aged children in Zambia, in urban and rural areas across the country.
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6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The program started with the development of digitized content intended to cover every lesson of every day, from grades 1 to 7. The animated and voiced-over content is interactive, with pupil exercises and quizzes, as well as teacher materials. From grades 1 to 3, each lesson is available in English as well as all seven of Zambia’s official vernacular languages.
The new content was extensively tested in classrooms in both urban and rural areas, including low-cost settings. Follow up with teachers enabled changes to be made, to ensure that the content was usable and effective. The program was rolled out on a small scale.
In 2015, the opportunity came for a substantial expansion. The President of Zambia, Mr Edgar Lungu, declared in his speech at the opening of Parliament that this program should be rolled out to schools across Zambia. This pronouncement led to the formation of the partnership described above, focusing attention towards implementing the President’s declaration. While budget pressures have prevented a comprehensive national rollout, a decentralized approach has proven to be a very effective way of achieving substantial scale up.
Key elements of the initiative have evolved over time, including the following:
• Capacity building for teachers and education managers: The program initially delivered training as a one-off activity, based on showing teachers “how to use it”. In time, however, the training program adapted to ensure that the new program was being used in the context of better overall teaching practice. Teachers have been trained in pupil-centered active learning, in managing large class sizes, in questioning and differentiation, and other skills associated with best practice.
• Continuous upgrading in line with technological developments: The technological world never stands still. Since the development of this program, and in the two years since embarking on large-scale expansion, the possibilities associated with this program have continued to expand. Low cost affordable Internet connectivity is possible via TV White Space, even where there is no telephone signal. This is facilitating communication between education managers and classroom teachers at virtually no cost. Managers can monitor pupil and teacher performance, and the learning content can be updated. Standardized tests can be delivered, and the results uploaded. The provision of school libraries via e-books is now being piloted using this mechanism, reaching schools were currently there are no books.
• Monitoring and evaluation: At first, evaluation focused on demonstrating that pupils using this program learned more effectively than their peers. Randomized control trials in several areas showed significant year-on-year gains in performance by targeted pupils compared to control groups. The evaluation approach has now evolved: First, panel data is being built to monitor the impact of the program over an entire primary school cycle, in order to demonstrate the effect of the program over time, particularly in difficult implementing environments. Second, more detailed studies are investigating the effect of the program on classroom practice, emphasizing the fact the program aims to support better teaching: building teachers capacity, not replacing them.
The project has been financed by a range of actors. Government provides most of the schools, and most of the teachers. Government also provides education oversight through the DEBS. The private sector has invested in the content, and also supplies hardware and equipment. At a local level, the program has been funded buy a diverse group of contributors. These include schools, parents, teachers, community members, UNICEF, international donors, local NGOs, local businesses, and even tourists. The US-based American Institutes of Research is embarking on a major randomized control trial on a pro-bono basis. In the future, central government budget is also expected to be available.
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7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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The design and implementation of the initiative has been influenced by the large number of stakeholders who contribute to its implementation.
Specific contributions to the content have been made by the Curriculum Development Center , which is mandated to provide feedback and ultimately approval for any materials to be used in schools. Since inception of the project, the national curriculum have been revised. This has necessitated revision in the digital materials, a process that has been subject to in-depth guidance by the CDC.
The Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has also contributed to the design of this initiative. When the initiative started, the best and only option for internet connection in most schools was via mobile telephone service providers. When new technology, TV White Space, became available more recently, ZICTA studied and then endorsed its use, especially in remote rural schools beyond the telephone network.The role of the private sector has been important, as so often in the technology sector. Using private sector models, but attracting philanthropic investment, the companies involved have offered an opportunity to tap into the leading edge of new thinking, and apply this to the most challenging environments in the primary school sector.
Most importantly, perhaps, has been the willingness of teachers serving impoverished communities to engage with this program. Despite diverse difficulties, the teachers have provided constant insight into the use of the program and how to improve it. Their commitment to delivering education to all children (especially those living in poverty) and their willingness to leave the cities and live in remote rural areas, is the most important element of all.
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8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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There are five concrete outputs that have been demonstrated in each of the major evaluations of this program. They are as follows:
1. Teachers trained in this program deliver active, engaging, child-centered lessons: New national data shows a relationship between teaching styles and learning outcomes. Children learn better when they are actively involved in a task, rather than passively listening or watching. After one year of project implementation, lesson observations show a range of improvements compared to classes in a control group.
2. Pupils enrolled in the program achieve better learning outcomes: Rigorous impact evaluation has compared improvements in numeracy and literacy between program schools and control sites. These evaluations been conducted by UNICEF and the Impact Network, in rural and urban areas. They have used the USAID-developed Early Grade Reading and Maths Assessments, translated as necessary into local languages. The results consistently show significantly better learning outcomes for pupils using the program, with scores typically increasing by around twice as much over a year .
3. The program is cost-effective and affordable for use in ordinary primary schools across Africa: Using decentralized implementation, and without the advantages of centralized cost-saving measures, the cost of providing both hardware and software content, together with teacher training and oversight, is around $19 per pupil per year. New connectivity will also deliver significant reductions in the cost of communications and oversight, especially in remote areas.
4. The program is especially effective for untrained teachers working with large classes in difficult conditions: The equipment has proved to be robust, and the program works in well in off-line and off-grid locations. Community schools, with untrained teachers and temporary buildings, have demonstrated results comparable with schools in considerably less challenging conditions.
5. The program is popular with teachers and pupils, and builds support for education in the community: Simply speaking, this is a very important factor in the program’s success. In one evaluation, teachers most commonly expressed the view that the program enabled them to do better job more easily. Pupils appreciate access to learning materials, enjoy the activities, and say they pay more attention in class. Many head teachers report improved attendance. The evaluation also reports that parents in some locations have been trying to transfer children into schools using the program.
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9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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The key challenge has been to encourage all teachers to adapt to change. While the younger teachers and those closest to urban areas are usually enthusiastic about the program, it is more difficult for older teachers to contemplate change. Moreover, older teachers often occupy senior positions, including head teacher. Program expectations around their role have therefore been adjusted. Rather than expecting leadership by older teachers to be very hands-on, their role now involves less direct involvement with the technology, with greater focus on performance monitoring and community engagement.
Another problem has been the cost of oversight and monitoring. After the program is launched, a series of mentoring visits over the first two years has been an important element in capacity building. The cost of these visits can be substantial, especially in rural areas. By introducing connectivity, it is becoming easier to monitor classroom performance. Visits can be more strategically planned, while a variety of on-line user groups are supporting remote and peer-to-peer learning.
A third problem was the change in the national curriculum, which occurred after the original materials were developed. In updating the content, the software engineers have taken the opportunity to transition into a new platform, with support from Microsoft. The new platform means that content is easier to create, and easier to edit. This will allow future adaptation in line with feedback on individual lessons and future curriculum updates.
Problems relating to the viability of using technology in difficult conditions were anticipated by some stakeholders, but did not arise. Hardware systems have proved robust, and schools have taken good care of the equipment provided. For example, in one operating environment characterized by particularly dry and sandy conditions, just 3% of the hardware provided showed any sign of malfunction after 18 months.
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