Quality Education for All – The Digital Solution

In Bangladesh, people move to Dhaka for better living standards with higher chances of availing quality education, healthcare and better opportunities. Taking into account current government’s initiative “Villages to Cities”, we aim to provide better education services. The greatest challenges in delivering quality education are the teachers.

JAAGO has developed a technology solution called Digital Schools for delivering quality education. Here, qualified teachers from Dhaka teach online to students in distant areas using a live video-conferencing system. JAAGO Foundation won the UNESCO award in 2017 for ICT in Classroom solutions. Since then JAAGO has been teaching close to 13,000 students across Bangladesh through this Digital School Solution. 

JAAGO is applying for this fund to establish and spread the model in 8 divisions. We believe by ensuring quality education all over Bangladesh, we could prevent continuous migration to Dhaka and improve education quality of other cities in Bangladesh.

As an emerging nation, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress and has substantial economic growth recently. Although, Bangladesh is categorized as a developing country, in 2018, Bangladesh fulfilled all three eligibility criteria for graduation from the UN’s ‘Least Developed Countries’ (LDC) list for the first time and is on track for graduation in 2024. Based on the international poverty line of $1.90 per person per day, it reduced poverty from 44.2 percent in 1991 to 14.8 percent in 2016/17.

However, despite having more than 80% of the population living outside the capital, they are deprived of having the opportunity of having quality education. Without quality education, the future growth of the country has the potential of slowing down.

At the moment, JAAGO Foundation’s Digital School Solution has impacted over 13,000 students. The potential of impact is very large. There are nearly 20,000,000 students in Primary school in Bangladesh. In addition, the model can be used to teach technical and vocational trainings to secondary school student and/or adults.

Since 2007, JAAGO has been working to break the cycle of poverty by providing free of cost quality education to the most marginalized community, to whom education is a luxury they cannot afford. By using our Teachers Center hub from Dhaka's Rayer Bazar office, JAAGO is  delivering quality education using skilled teachers from Dhaka to 9 districts of the country. At present, we are working with marginalized communities of Rajshahi, Gaibandha, Bandarban, Madaripur, Lakshmipur, Dinajpur, Teknaf, Habiganj and Rangpur.  

Inspired by the need to make an impact in communities outside of Dhaka, JAAGO is delivering the Digital School solution that is changing and supporting the next generation of Bangladesh. The solution gives children the opportunity at a better education that otherwise wouldn’t have it.

The solution JAAGO Foundation is proposing is not new. It has been tested and proven to make an impact. If we could get your support for expanding the model, JAAGO will be able to remove the barrier of distance by providing courses via qualified teachers from Dhaka to a larger number of students. 

To change the lives of people living under the poverty line in hard to reach areas of the country who are deprived from the access of quality education, we have developed the solution of Digital School System. 

As it is very difficult to find quality teachers outside of Dhaka, JAAGO established a teacher’s center in Rayer Bazar, Dhaka. JAAGO’s qualified teachers sit in these sound proof booths which are equipped with internet, computers, webcam, etc. to teach students in schools all over Bangladesh. On the classroom end there is a TV or computer from which the children are learning live online with a Qualified Teacher from Dhaka. Teachers are able to deliver impactful lesson through video conferencing technology. This is a live and interactive education system where teachers and students interact in real time. In addition, to having a quality teacher that teaches, this model also incorporates technology in classrooms. For example, a teacher is teaching about volcanoes. The children may or may not see a picture of volcanoes in their books. However, in a Digital Classroom, the teacher is able to show a video of a volcano erupting.  Digital Schools have been proven to have higher engagement levels and students scoring higher on exams.

The Digital School solution has proven to be effective and impactful in the 9 JAAGO Digital Schools in various locations outside of Dhaka. The solution has won a UNESCO Award for this model for the category of using ICT in Education. Apart from this, JAAGO is applying this model with Bangladesh Government in association with International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Moheshkhali Island of Bangladesh. 

At present, JAAGO has been teaching a number of 13,000 children where 3500 are directly getting benefit by our schools and the rests are getting benefitted with the above mentioned partnership with Bangladesh government in Digital Island Moheshkhali. 

Quality Education in Bangladesh is vital to eliminating poverty. Schools in Bangladesh have a variety of challenges: curriculum, student engagement and quality teachers. The Digital School solves all of these problems. Our solution is innovative as it prepares students with 21st century skills in an engaging manner. The solution is indeed cost effective as it uses the current infrastructure in schools to provide the solution. 

There is constant migration of people to Dhaka. Tt is nearly impossible to deploy qualified teachers in border cities such as Teknaf or in the hills of Banderban. In JAAGO's Digital School model, teachers can sit in the capital and deliver education using the live and interactive video conferencing technology. Thus, distance in no longer a barrier to have the opportunity to have quality education. 

Overcoming the geographical and distance barrier while providing education is the key factor that makes our innovation unique and special.  

People around the country who are living outside the capital in urban, sub-urban areas and villages are deprived from the light of quality education. Those who have the financial strength send their children to capital for education purpose. But those who don't possess the ability to bear the education and living expenses in capital, despite having the willingness, couldn't have quality education for their children. 

In recent days, the mindset of our people have changed. Everybody wants to educate their child no matter the geographical, distance and financial barriers. This is where Digital School Model will work out. 

Education is the key to economic development and growth. It is indeed the single factor that will eliminate poverty and improve the lives of each individual family. By having an overall educated population, Bangladesh will benefit with better productivity and efficiency. Education is a long term impact for the people of Bangladesh.

At present, through applying this model we are working with 13000 students in more than 10 distant location of the country. Among them, 3500 students are directly enrolled in JAAGO Schools in 11 districts of the country. On the other hand, due to our success in education while applying this model, the government of Bangladesh approached us to apply this in government Schools. So we do teach 9000 students in Moheskhali Island's 10 government schools. 

We have an organic expansion of enrolling new students in our schools which occurs every year in the beginning of new academic calendar. This number varies between 450-500. 

If we become eligible and get the funding, we have a bigger plan to expand in next 5 years. We aim to deliver education in every remote parts of the country. Thus we will be expand our teachers center in Dhaka and establish school / apply the model in all the districts of 8 divisions and we are looking forward to reach a number of at least 1 million students in Bangladesh. 

In next 5 years, we are hoping to expand the Digital Education School Model to scale up with the government and/or other private organizations. In next 5 years, our goal is to reach at least 1 million students by applying the model in all the areas of the country.  

To expand the model in massive scale, sufficient funding is the barrier. We have spoken to government partners who would like to implement the program, however, without sufficient funding we are not able to move forward.

We are working to avail funding from various sources for expanding the model and ensure quality education for. 

At present, JAAGO Foundation has a number of 400 employees all over Bangladesh. 

JAAGO Foundation's expertise and one of the core programs is Education. In the past 12 years, we have been educating a number of 13000 children across Bangladesh. We have the expert manpower, quality teachers, handiness in using technology, pioneer in providing digital education and decades of experience. Thus we can assure we are the best to deliver this solution.

Out of our 4 programs, Distance Learning Project is one of the program where we have been working with Bangladesh government. Upon the success and continuation of implementing Digital School Model and being awarded by UNESCO, Bangladesh government approached us to apply the model in their School. 

Since then, we have partnered with ICT Divisions of Bangladesh and International Organization for Migration (IOM) and educating 9000 students in 10 government schools in Moheshkhali Island.   

We would use a franchising model. We would work with schools to implement this program in their schools. Since they have the infastructure there would be nominal additional costs: TV, Internet, Dhaka Teacher and Teaching booth setup.

This method would be a service we provide for which we are paid. In 2 years we would be able to breakeven and make profit.

- Growth Strategies,

- Marketing Strategies,

- Partnerships with Internet providers, technology hardware companies, etc.

N/A

N/A