Caliper Educational Suppliers

Increasing economic disparities, natural disasters, wars and disease outbreaks can hinder access to education, let alone quality education.

Our solution is to provide access to education materials and resources to eliminate or mitigate any adverse environmental impacts to education. We propose a community based education system utilizing offline pre-recorded video learning aids operated by teacher aides within the communities. Mobile labs and community based science labs will cater for students practical learning.

The learning aids will be made using the best pedagogical methods ensuring a level learning field. Mobile/community labs will guarantee access to science lab equipment which could otherwise not be purchased by individual schools, not to mention rural/poor community schools.

This community/cluster based learning will guarantee easy access to quality education thus insulating student communities from external/environmental negative forces. In addition pupils with physical disabilities will benefit from this learn in community system.

At any given time, learners elsewhere are affected by poor national/familial economic performance, natural disasters(floods, earthquakes etc), war or disease outbreaks. This generally leads to limited/seasonal/intermittent access to education.

We are specifically targeting students from low income families, rural communities and those affected by covid-19 in Zimbabwe. Economically Zimbabwe is the 26th poorest country in the world, with over 60% of the population living in rural areas. Covid-19 has forced a near complete blackout on education in 2020 yet the learners proceeded to next level in 2021. Natural disasters such as cyclones and droughts which preceded Covid-19 also left a trail of destruction to the country's education system. `

These challenges are recurring and hence require longterm solutions anchored in digital technology platforms and strong community involvement. Our solution will ensure affordable, locally accessed, quality education to the student communities.

Pre-recorded video classes spanning all subjects available on video projectors will be available to all students. Mobile/fixed cluster based labs will service local communities bringing education to the students as opposed to students frantically searching for education.

Our solution holistically approach the equitable education challenge by proposing two complementary solutions, one for teaching and one for practical work for STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

Teaching

We propose to use teaching aids comprising pre-recorded video classes loaded in video projectors. All classes are based on the national curriculum and delivered using the best teaching methods. Teacher aides within the communities will be identified and trained on the kits, marking exercises, and on guiding student activities. They will also have access and communication with remote trained teachers for exercises beyond their capabilities.

Practical work

We propose mobile and fixed laboratories. Mobile labs will move to the schools for practical work in a community or at a nearby school. This service is suited for all settlements, urban, peri-urban or rural. Fixed STEM centers can accommodate out of school students.

We are targeting all school going age learners from underprivileged backgrounds and those with health and disability challenges that the current system cannot serve.

Currently in their best circumstances, these students are having to contend with, few teachers, poor/no infrastructure and walking long distances.

With the help and expertise of our civic organization partners, Strategic Youth Development Trust (SYDT) specializing in the emancipation of the girl child, our solution will ensure noone is left behind. All students who missed parts or all of 2020 lessons will have the opportunity to do them whilst continuing their current level studies.

In addition, gender based obstacles in education in general, and STEM in particular will be attended to jointly by Caliper Educational suppliers and SYDT.

Currently, it is not an exaggeration to state that learners, particularly those under 10 years, detest going to school due to the long distances and bad weather conditions such as rain and cold. In addition, one can imagine if children with disabilities in these communities ever have a chance to go to school. Bringing education closer to their place of stay will make it more interesting and improve their participation.

Furthermore, learners with motor challenges that limit their mobility will access quality education within their communities. The current system separates and group children with hearing and speaking challenges from the rest of the others. And as a result, this system stays put for the rest of their lives, as they live in their own groups. Having a digital teacher aid, means that all children regardless of their hearing and speech can learn within the same environment. A sign language translator can be occupy the same screen as the videoed teacher thereby attending to the deaf students.

Doing practicals will also help in developing individual technical skills, ignite or develop interest in technological fields and also help understand theory better.

The challenge to provide equitable classrooms requires leveling the education field with regards to access to learning resources; both human resources and infrastructure.

There are logistical problems in accessing the learning resources, could be as a result of distance, disasters, disease outbreaks or even war, we solve this by bringing the learning resources to the students.

Infrastructure problems is mainly a result of high costs of learning resources, for example internet connectivity or laboratory equipment. This will be circumvented by providing digital classes without need of internet or renting laboratory equipment instead of buying.  

We are a registered company which focuses on STEM education. We have also acquired and assembled laboratory equipment for some of the STEM subjects. Our "for profit" business model is shared here on our website.

This stage of development suits our current status.

Our innovative step is the introduction of an education "middle-man" who facilitates learning at the convenience of learners.

This approach removes commonly ignored challenges such as physical barriers, weather conditions and economic misgivings which tilts the scales against learners from poor backgrounds. The community based hybrid physical/digital learning environment is accessible anywhere with/without the use of internet infrastructure. We are leveraging on portable digital devices to carry education to the communities rather than education being limited to established brick and mortar spaces.

The use of teacher aides is a concept not trialed in Zimbabwe. However, the health and veterinary professions have similar structures where nurses and nurse aides assist doctors in the health profession whilst vet extension officers monitor animal welfare in remote settings in place of veterinarians.This approach will lessen teachers burden at few centralized schools whilst also providing local access to learning resources.

In addition, subjects such as STEM subjects traditionally have few teachers and involve expensive laboratory equipment. Using pre-recorded video classes will increase enrollment in these subjects while cluster based labs will also be available at a lower cost as the equipment is shared.

Instead of parents sending children to far away places for schooling, in this solution the parents and community instead will actively participate in the education and development of their children.

Current numbers - 0

Number in 1 year - over 100,000

Number in five years - over 1,000,000

Our impact indicators is the number of students enrolled within the community education centers. We will also keep records of their performances in order to track any changes in attitude to education and other improvements.

Eight (8) full-time staff

Twenty (15) part-time staff

Ten (10) Contractors

Our permanent staff team comprises professionals in the higher education, education and business fields. The vast majority of the core team have STEM backgrounds and understands the impact the lack of lab equipment has especially when learners will sit for a practical exam. In addition, the lead team member did two years of his primary education in the village where the nearest school was about 5 km away and remembers first hand the experience of such a situation.

Our contractors are people in both the education field (teachers) and civic community (SYDT) who have worked with similar communities as those being targeted here and so will bring a wealth of advice and experience.

Part-timers are mostly in the laboratory assistants, who will be qualified for the positions.

From ideation and planning our team has always been diverse and inclusive. In the main Caliper program Mrs Z. Gavaza-Mtariswa will co-lead with one of the founders Mr B. Mujokoro. In the women off-shoot, Mrs Gavaza-Mtariswa and Mrs Muzondo-Chirova will lead. Ms A. Hungwe and Ms I. Walters will each head Chemistry and Biology respectively, whilst Mr T. Madhovi and Mr S. Dzinoreva will head Physics and Computer Science respectively.

We are searching for funding for our education project.

We need support to deliver our products to the market and thus implement our business model. In order to do this, we are searching for funding from donations and grants to enable us to pilot and develop our products and services.

We wish to partner with companies which make mini video projectors. This is because these companies can customize some features to enable them to suit education.

We have products that were developed specifically to address shortcomings in STEM education particularly in our country. The products we intend to offer cover both teaching and experimental laboratory work. The availing of these products on digital platform (in video projector teaching aids) and on a cluster based learning model (for lab practicals) will make these services available to remote and poor communities.

We have dedicated an entire division to deal with recruitment of girls and young women to participate in STEM education. In addition, this division is expected to foster a gender inclusive and responsive learning environment.