Our work to bring learning to life for thousands of Rohingya refugee children has been recognised by HundrED, an organisation ‘dedicated to helping every child flourish by giving them access to quality education’.
HundrED partnered with EdTech Hub to seek Edtech innovations in Bangladesh. Out of 168 submissions, Children on the Edge were selected as one of 15 innovations to be featured in the EdTech Spotlight in 2023.
HundrED said: “Children on the Edge is redefining education for Rohingya refugees, providing digital lessons in their native language, enhancing understanding, and making learning accessible and enjoyable, turning linguistic barriers into bridges of knowledge.”
Our digital programme is featured in their latest research report, which identifies education technology innovations with great potential to be scaled and are already having an impact in Bangladesh and beyond.
Quoted in the report, Our Asia Regional Manager John Littleton said:
“The response to the video lessons has been incredibly positive, not just from the students but also from the teachers, who are refugees themselves. They have been given textbooks in English and Burmese but these are not languages that they are versed in and they can’t fully really read or write in either language. So when we produce the video lessons, it is illuminating for the teachers, because they are then understanding the lessons as well. It has really opened the door for our teachers as well as our students.”
Over a million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, unable to return to hostile Myanmar anytime soon. Only English or Burmese textbooks are allowed in the vast refugee camps - languages the Rohingya scarcely understand. Consequently an entire generation of children are at risk of growing up without learning to read or write; lacking the basic skills needed to lead a healthy, productive life.
We create colourful, engaging video lessons to use in 144 classrooms within Kutupalong camp, on Bhasan Char Island and within host communities in Cox’s Bazar. Trained refugee teachers utilise hundreds of videos, produced by our in-country digital team, shown on portable handheld projectors to teach around 5,000 learners.
Lessons are based on the government-approved Myanmar curriculum and ensure that teachers can follow textbooks and children can actually understand what is being taught. The videos combine footage of Rohingya teachers explaining concepts with pictures and cartoons that bring subjects to life and make classes fun. The children tell us the videos are their favourite part about school.
To enhance the core curriculum, videos on subjects like health, human rights and culture are shown to allow the children to see aspects of the world that they didn't previously know existed, giving them a glimpse into life outside the confines of the camps or slums where they live.
Children on the Edge only provide 4% of education provision in the camps, but our learning centres are consistently ranked highest by authorities and children. Classrooms have a 96% average attendance rate and teachers continue to describe how children learn and concentrate better with digital lessons, and retain information for longer.
Alongside digital lessons, an online platform - ‘Moja Kids’ - brings weekly student-made digital newsletters to all our classrooms. The children delight in both creating and watching the Moja Kids newsletters, giving them a chance to express themselves, share their talents and interact with others to tackle their sense of isolation. This year we have expanded the use of Moja Kids to India so the children can connect with others living in challenging environments.
