The introduction of Tablet-Based Learning by the United Kingdom based software publisher EuroTalk has sparked the beginning of Tablet-based learning in Malawi.
The project presently being piloted in some schools in the country is the height of partnership between the governments of Scotland and Malawi.
Government of Malawi through the ministry of education, science and technology launched the scheme in 2010 piloting the use of tablet technology in 30 schools with the EuroTalk app ‘Masamu’ (a local word for mathematics) which is intended to teach basic numeracy.
EuroTalk said that The University of Nottingham, one of the leading Universities in the UK will be evaluating the project next month in order to establish if children using EuroTalk’s ‘Masamu’ maths application learn faster than their classmates.
The European company also said that the study will take place at Biwi Primary School, Lilongwe, which was selected for the project by the ministry of education. It also said that up to 300 children aged 5-6 will be involved in the study which will be led by Dr Nicola Pitchford, from the School of Psychology at The University of Nottingham.
Andrew Ashe, EuroTalk’s managing director observes that in a country like Malawi, where class sizes often exceed 100 pupils, many children don’t get the learning opportunities they so desperately need.
“We believe that high quality, local language, educational applications on tablet technology can be life-changing, and we look forward to seeing what the study reveals,” said the Managing director.
The goal, EuroTalk says, is to bring the best possible education to one billion children, and the team sees the forthcoming evaluation as a fundamental step.
The company is using Malawi as a model and depending on how successful it will be, the project will expand to other countries across the world, producing the applications in each child’s local language.