IntroductionThe eNeighborhood Project is our US implementing partner to help provide educational resources to the lowest income regions of sub-Saharan Africa and is a US registered 501(c)(3) charity. Our shared goal is to provide comprehensive, sustainable educational support to students and adults in remote and disadvantaged urban areas, regardless of their current infrastructure. SustainabilitySustainability is a crucial aspect of any development project. Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project can involve several strategies, including:
By considering these strategies and others, you can help to ensure the long-term sustainability of your project and maximize its impact on the community. BackgroundOver the last few years, we have made multiple trips to Africa and interacted with students, teachers, and administrators. Our experience has led us to understand that sustainability involves more than what is outlined in the UN SDG framework. Specifically, we have identified the top four factors that have contributed to the unsuccessful implementation of educational technology in Africa. They are:
Working With National GovernmentsAs we work with national governments where we launch projects, we propose a three-phase approach to implementing our solution in schools countrywide:
For a country considering this solution, we recommend implementing it first at upper secondary level and then, after full implementation, moving on to lower secondary level and then to primary schools. This will have a noticeable impact after the first year, as Grade 12 high school students receive at least a full year of technology classes before graduation. In contrast, if it is first implemented at the primary level, it will take 10-12 years for the impact of these implementations to affect graduates. For more information on this implementation plan, see: https://www.eneighborhood.org/education-implementations/ . This page only refers to selected Phase 1 pilot implementations. Holistic ApproachOur ultimate goal is to improve student achievement for low-income students by providing the resources to allow every child to learn about any subject. Our project intent is to provide everything that is needed to promote this learning using software that addresses the basic educational needs and allows the school administration to keep track of students and their activities. In order to provide the software, we need to also address the dependencies required for it to work in every location, not only the wealthy schools. Dependencies include:
StandardizationIn order to reduce cost and streamline support, deployment, and maintenance, we will implement a “standard package” that includes software, computer hardware, solar energy and networking equipment at each location. By having a consistent configuration in all our locations, we are able to monitor and maintain all computer equipment from a centralized location. Using our Dexterity™ AI-based software, all computers report their health to a centralized location on an hourly basis, including indicators that will inform the central location that repairs will be needed in the foreseeable future. Additionally, having a standard hardware configuration allows us to maintain a limited stock of replacement equipment and parts, so that if repairs are needed, they can be taken from a local supply location. By standardizing software and hardware, we will be able to prepare for each new installation quickly. It will also allow us to keep locations updated with new releases and teaching materials as they are made available. Continual Monitoring – Student ProgressThe software that we provide will include a facility to keep track of student achievement at a centralized location (when implemented on a large scale, data for all schools would be kept in the same database, but segmented to maintain privacy). This is the same software that has been used to collect and quality check information to support “no child left behind” (in the US) and similar programs in the UK and Australia. Phase 1 PilotsIn the first phase, we are planning two types of pilot projects: one designed for areas where the schools are larger and can support their own computer lab(s). The second, more suitable for rural locations, will include a fixed building that will be shared by and meet the needs of multiple village schools. Time in this building will be scheduled and split between schools that share it. This building will be located in a location that is within walking distance of the supported schools. It will contain a computer lab, an equipment room, a storage closet and a small office area. The illustration to the right is a quick diagram of what such a building might look like. It will have three main areas: a classroom, storage and a small office. On the roof will be solar panels and attached to the side of the building will be a pole where 3G/4G public wireless and local Wi-Fi antennas will be mounted. As we did research into how such a building would be used, we realized that if it were not located in a school, then it could be used by the community when the school is not using it. This would provide the following benefits:
Not only would it enable them to learn reading and basic mathematics, but if they were interested subjects like: information technology, starting a business, online sales, marketing, science, history, advanced mathematics, climate, economics, ESL (English as a second language), and engineering, Additionally, since it is not directly attached to a school, this technology center could be used to give demonstrations to outside parties, such as people from other schools who are considering implementing our education technology. Midsized CommunityThis model is designed for a mid-sized community and has two classrooms plus storage for additional equipment. Each classroom would have 15 laptops and its own edge server. The two edge servers would likely be teamed either for more disk space or for redundancy. Like the single classroom model, it would have a counseling center and resource closet for girls. To see a larger picture, click on the image. Large CommunityThis model is for larger communities or where several schools will be sharing the one learning center. It would have three computer classrooms, each with 15 laptops and a small server for each set of servers. Like the single classroom model, it would have a counseling center and resource closet for girls. To see a larger picture, click on the image. The Computer ClassroomThe computer classroom will have a desk for the facilitator (teacher) and 15 smaller desks with laptop computers. The student desks will be large enough for two people to share the computer. The notebook computer will be an HP ProBook x360 G6 (or similar).
Other EquipmentEach intervention will consist of the software needed to enhance learning as well as the hardware needed to support it. This section describes the major components of this hardware. Local ServerEach location will have a small (10cm x 10cm x 3cm) but capable DC-powered server running the Microsoft Windows Server operating system and larger implementations will be supported by a hyperconverged host platform from Scale Computing. This server can have up to 4TB of very fast storage that can easily hold our library of over 3,000 books and 15,000 other educational resources, including video and audio recordings. Networking EquipmentTwo types of networking equipment will be included with the package: This will permit access to educational materials by local members of the community who have their own device without incurring wireless data charges. Solar EnergyIn places where access to a public grid is not available, we will supply a African optimized DC-only solar energy microgrid that will include:
Unlike most other solar energy systems, our microgrids do not include an inverter and notebook AC adapters are not needed, since the computers connect directly to the charging station. If you would like to see an independent source explain the merits of DC-only solar energy, see: 5 Reasons DC Electricity Should Replace AC Electricity in Buildings or watch the video at: The DC-Powered Building – Brad Koerner, Cima. SummaryThe model we present implements all parts necessary to achieve the goal of enhancing student learning. Each location is fully implemented (software, hardware, solar power), independently of other installations that may be underway. By implementing relevant software and everything needed to support it, we believe that we can bring lasting, sustainable, positive impact for low-income communities in Africa. Lastly, by working with local in-country partners, we will develop a more sustainable, independent framework that will continue many years after the initial implementation.
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