Scale-up Student Learning in Indigenous School Districts

A knowledge-sharing workshop to share the results and learnings from the use of Solar-Powered RACHEL off-line technology for education in off-grid communities in the NW corner of the BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve with other educators and policy makers for possible application and scale to other remote Indigenous communities in Caribbean Nicaragua.

Context

The RAAN (est. 1987) is one of two autonomous indigenous regions along the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. The BOSAWAS and RAAN regions share similar tropical rainforest contexts and Indigenous populations. Nicaragua Miskito and Mayagna communities in these regions have no or limited road and internet access, are without electric power and share similar challenges with limited educational resources, lack of teacher training, and poor infrastructure.

Scaling Success

The Technology and Training for Quality Education and Equality in the Bosawas project and its Phase II scale up employed the use of technology (off-line RACHEL digital libraries + laptops) to improve student learning in off-grid communities in the NW corner of the BOSAWAS Biosphere Reserve, within the RAAN region. Through increased access to teacher training, high-quality educational resources, intercultural bilingual education, and gender equality training and resources, the ground-breaking and unique initiative showed great success. The innovation’s results received widespread attention from the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education, researchers and department heads at partner organization URACCAN, and Canadian funders. Educators and policy makers in the entire region are interested in learning more about the successful innovation and how they can scale it to improve student learning in their school districts.

Knowledge-Sharing

A two-day workshop facilitates knowledge-sharing in Bilwi, the regional capital of the northeast RAAN Caribbean region of Nicaragua.
Participants include

• Ministry of Education (MINED) staff including regional representatives of three departments:
  Teacher Training, Intercultural Bilingual Education, and Technology for Education.
• School directors and teachers from 15 communities / indigenous territories in the RAAN region.
• Leaders of remote Indigenous groups / first nations that have not had any technology for
  education projects in their regions.
• Leaders of remote Indigenous groups / first nations that have tried different types of technology
  for education projects in their regions.
• International and National NGOs and corporations (technology, solar, goldmining) as potential
  funders for scaling the innovation (participation at their own expense).
• The CFC Project team, including the Miskito Pedagogy and Gender Equality Specialist and the
  Monitoring and Learning Coordinator, who will provide practical hands-on sessions to demonstrate to
  educators and policy-makers the advantages and potential of the solar-powered RACHEL learning labs
  for their communities.