Schools in low-income countries are embracing ‘low-tech’ solutions amid the pandemic [via BusinessWorld]
By Patricia Mirasol on BusinessWorld
“Low-tech” interventions such as paper-based activities and radio programs are helping educational institutions in low-income countries educate those who need it the most amid the pandemic.
At the Central Visayan Institute and Foundation (CVIF) in Bohol, the chronic lack of qualified teachers, textbooks, and equipment is bypassed by learning activity sheets prepared by subject teachers.
The analog solution also dispenses with the need for Internet connectivity in a community where only 10% of students have access to data services, which is “very unstable,” according to Marivic Bernido, who runs the school with her husband and fellow physicist, Christopher Bernido.
The sheets are distributed weekly to students, who send text messages to teachers through SMS (short message service) or Viber if they have questions. Teachers check submitted papers and provide written feedback on the sheets, which are returned to the students.
“Some basic, low-tech interventions—such as learning sheets and radio—are working. It’s interesting that in 2021, we’re relying on these things,” said Francis L. Larios, Phinma Education’s chief learning officer.
The scenario is a familiar one for participants at the first Education@theMargins conference, which gathered industry experts from Jordan, South Africa, Brazil, and Australia.