Padziwe Ecosystem for Digital Education
Padziwe
(
Private sector
)
#SDGAction46591
Description
Padziwe Ecosystem for Digital Education is a number of applications developed to address several challenges faced by the education sector in Malawi. The specific needs are as follows: 1) High costs of learning resources 2) Insufficient learning resources 3) Poor quality of learning resources 4) Lack of continuous professional development (CPD) training for in-service teachers. Padziwe addresses these challenges by providing curriculum-based content (primary and secondary) which is enriched with interactive animations, videos, diagrams, and audios.
Currently, the ecosystem comprises the following:
1. PADZIWE DIGITAL LIBRARY (PDL): desktop & mobile software containing interactive learning resources for primary & secondary school. Content in PDL is enriched with visual media such as interactive animations, videos, audios, diagrams, etc. to help learners understand concepts easier.
2. TEACHERS DESK: online application offering continuous professional development (CPD) to teachers for free. The training content is also enriched with visual and interactive media to enhance assimilation. It incorporates other tools such as Exam Bank which helps teachers formulate question papers fast by selecting pre-made questions from a huge pool.
3. PADZIWE EDUCATIONAL HARDWARE: Android tablets and solar-powered laptops containing the Padziwe Digital Library app (see above).
4. SCHOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: an application which allows schools to manage their administrative processes in terms of processing student grades, records, fees payments, and so on.
UNIQUENESS
Padziwe Ecosystem is unique because it does not leave anyone behind in the education system. Often, edu-tech innovations focus on solving one problem in the education spectrum, leaving out other crucial issues such as workload for teachers, quality of teachers and efficiencies of schools in administration. The PDL goes further to make sure that each lesson is presented in the simplest and most interactive format possible. Using research findings obtained from our Lean Impact approaches, our lessons focus on helping the student understand & relate to learning outcomes. At Padziwe we have a special department that focuses on creating illustrations, videos, and animations for learners to enhance the quality of learning resources.
SCALABILITY
Padziwe’s applications can be used in any setting in Malawi. With the help of solar-powered laptops and tablets that come with solar chargers, the content can reach the furthest off-grid areas. Since the content is tied to the curriculum, any school or student studying the Malawi curriculum at primary or secondary level can use the applications. Padziwe’s applications can also be easily scaled to other countries in Africa. Most of the core subjects such as sciences have almost the same learning outcomes, regardless of country. For the subjects that may differ in scope and breadth of coverage, Padziwe can make modifications to match any country-specific curriculums. This would be easy to do because the content is digital and can get automatic updates when connected to the internet.
IMPACT
Follow this link for an overview of Padziwe's impact: https://www.mwnation.com/a-library-at-fingertips
Currently, the African Union ranks Padziwe’s Ecosystem of Digital Education among the top 10 of education innovations in all of Africa. https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/new-system-digital-education-malawi
-By providing content that is interactive and easy to understand, this initiative will help learners attain learning outcomes which will be an important factor to getting them to complete primary and secondary education.
-Padziwe will help make kids ready for primary school by providing quality content for early childhood development. This content is also bundled in mobile tablets that come with solar chargers to ensure that kids in remote off-grid areas have access.
- By providing free content to help teachers with CPD, Padziwe will help in the supply of qualified teachers which is another factor to help achieve the two points above.
Civil Society, Education Coalition, EdTech Hub
https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/new-system-digital-education-malawi https://youtu.be/I5zbvKBrjWY?t=114 https://www.mwnation.com/a-library-at-fingertips
SDGS & Targets
Goal 4
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
4.1
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.1.1
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
4.1.2
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
4.2
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.2.1
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
4.2.2
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
4.3
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.3.1
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
4.4
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.4.1
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
4.5
4.5.1
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
4.6
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
4.6.1
Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
4.7
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.7.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment
4.a
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.a.1
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
4.b
4.b.1
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
4.c
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
4.c.1
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|
Deliverables & Timeline
Achieve a 100% pass rate of the learners who use Padziwe's educational content
Provide mobile learning devices to 50% of learners who are not able to attend physical classroom instruction
Provide Teacher CPD to at least 50% of primary school teachers in Malawi
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
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Timeline
Entity
SDGs
Region
- Africa
Other beneficiaries
Primary school learners, Secondary school learners, Teachers Schools, Government (Ministry of Education)
More information
Countries
Contact Information
Pilirani, Mr.