Technology-based Education Centre (TEC)

The COVID 19 pandemic has affected entire education systems, with an estimated 1.5 billion primary, secondary and tertiary learners’ (ages 5-18) education disrupted. Sri Lanka is one of the countries which severely affected by the COVID 19 outbreak. Several schools have shifted to online and distance learning since all schools and other educational institutions have been closed due to continuous lockdown in the country. As a result, the quality education is adversely affected. However, there is a need to shift the entire education system to technology-based education even in future. Students, teachers and parents do have to adapt to technology-based education and virtual learning. These disruptions exacerbate pre-existing education inequalities along wealth, gender, ethnicity, linguistic, and geographical lines. Primary and secondary school students have shown incredible resilience in the face of the challenges.

Concerning the challenges encountered by students and teachers in school context, a number of alternative measures are taken by the Ministry of education, Provincial Ministry of education and the heads of zonal education offices to continue the teaching/learning process. These days, all teaching/learning processes have been shifted to online learning. In spite of the change, students, teachers, principals and parents encounter challenges in various ways. One of the primary challenge faced by most of the students is financial crisis. They cannot affordable to buy online learning electronic devices and internet facilities. However, even after the emergence of the outbreak of COVID 19 pandemic crisis, the education system will be shifted to technology-based learning.

The aim of introducing this YouTube channel is to provide quality education for every student in Sri Lanka through free online learning platform. In Sri Lanka, several schools lack human resources (teachers) even for main subjects. Particularly, rural schools. Therefore, most of the students and parents rely on private education. Even if the quality education is not given at public schools, students are sent off for private classes. However, the students who are in poverty line rely on only school education. They cannot affordable to go for private classes. Moreover, students who are in rural setting do not have any learning centres.

Another issue encountered by several schools, teachers and students is lack of infrastructure and teaching/learning equipment. Further, there are no any online learning platform to learn all the syllabus of the particular academic year. Even there are some education websites and channels introduced by the state and nob-state organizations, certain areas of syllabus and other materials only uploaded through these online learning. As a consequence, the quality education does not reach every student in Sri Lanka. Due to poverty and lack of motivation, many students drop out from formal education, and their future becomes a question mark. The community and the country lose better leaders. When the children miss out on education, the dignity, socio-economic development and culture of the whole community and the country are affected. 

By introducing Technology-based Education Centre, solutions to out-of-school children with quality education and digital skills can be given in the following ways:

1. Establishing online learning platform to cover up the entire school syllabus based on textbook of the respective academic year (12 months) for each grade (Grade 1 – 13). 

2. Providing quality education according to sustainable development goals through technology-based and e-learning system. Every lesson will be developed through the smart integration of video based on competency and learning outcome. The lessons are delivered and recorded through multimedia projector and smartphone. Finally, the lesson videos will be uploaded in the YouTube channel without any delay. Further, the videos will be permanently available in the channel.

3. Qualified and knowledgeable teachers and other resources for each subject will be appointed to teach the lessons, and they will be paid for conducting classes.

3. The teaching/learning process, assessments and examinations will be monitored and evaluated at regular intervals through Digital Assessments conducted via Application. 

TEC primarily aims at school children in Sri Lanka between the ages of 5 to 16 years living under poverty line, in rural villages, and students who have less access for physical and online learning. These students include students who dropout from formal education due to poverty and the students who possess non-availability of facilitated government schools in their areas. There are many regions in the Central Province, Northern Province, Eastern Province and North Central Province where there are no any schools with sufficient human resources and basic infrastructure. They have neither any private learning centres in their area nor online learning platform.

When the technology-based and E-learning platform is introduced for students in every region in Sri Lanka, the issues such as shortage of teachers, lack of basic infrastructure, less access for physical and online learning and students’ dropout from formal education can be overcome. Quality education can be given for each child through online learning portal. In particular, the entire school syllabus and assessments are not covered during the academic year due to several factors. However, when lessons for entire school syllabus are uploaded in the TEC channel, students will not miss any lessons.

Another issue will arise among most of the students and parents that getting electronic devices to access the channel. The Ministry of Education and Provincial Ministry of education should take the responsibility to provide electronic devices for each student. However, these days, parents even in remote areas use smartphone. Hence, it would be easy for most of the students to access the YouTube channel. Further, arrangements should be made for students by the Ministry of education to get internet connection for low cost with the agreement of mobile network companies in Sri Lanka.

Our Solution primarily relates to the first dimension since we offer quality education for students who possess limited resources and lack of basic education infrastructure at schools. However, through this technology-based and E-learning platform, the students reach the expected learning outcome of the academic year since the entire school syllabus for every subject is covered, and uploaded in the YouTube channel. 

Although physical learning consists of social interaction between the teacher and the students, the education is affected when the schools are closed due to disasters and challenge of pandemic crisis. Hence, if the online learning system is available, students, teachers and parents can successfully face the challenges.

The purpose of selecting an equitable classroom is to provide quality education for every child in the country through E-learning platform. Due to lack of teachers, basic school infrastructure, learning/teaching equipment and due to natural disasters, war threats and other crisis like COVID 19, most of the students encounter a number of challenges in continuing their primary and secondary education. In particular, students are very far away from schools dropout from formal education. It happens in rural villages in Sri Lanka. If this YouTube channel entitled "Technology-based Learning Centre" is created, each and every student will gain education through E-learning platform by being at home. Even the schools are closed, they can learn being at home. Textbook syllabus for each subject will be completed and students will not miss any lesson. The facilities of accessing online learning for students should be arranged by the Ministry of education, Sri Lanka. Therefore, this stage has been selected.

This proposed solution will be innovative in the digital world. There are several online learning websites and channels which were introduced by the Ministry of Education, National Institute of Education (NIE), Provincial Ministry of education and Provincial Department of Education. However, there are huge differences between the proposed solution and other solutions. The aim of this proposed solution is to provide quality education based on school syllabus of the academic year which means that effective and technology-integrated lessons for each subject covering the entire syllabus will be taught by the teachers, and the lessons will be permanently available in the YouTube channel. Students in grade 1 to 13 can access the site and learn on their won. Students will have the opportunity to learn every lesson without missing even a lesson. But, when other online learning solutions are compared to the proposed solution, only selected lessons for selected subjects are taught in the YouTube channel, and certain learning/teaching materials are uploaded on the website.

This solutions gives equal opportunity for all students for free of cost. Therefore, it consists of innovative features. Moreover, it consists of many advantages rather than physical setup teaching/learning process. Students will have the opportunity to shift their learning system according to the demand of the modern age, and their autonomous learning can develop their competency, knowledge and skills. We strongly hope that this proposed solution could be a solution to the challenges faced by teachers, students, parents, society and other educationists in Sri Lankan education.

This is the first time we are planning to launch this project. We hope that we can serve for thousands of primary and secondary students in Sri Lanka by introducing this technology-based education to gain quality education.

Highly qualified and expert teachers and facilitators who can access modern teaching equipment will serve for the students once the project is successfully launched.

We measure our progress in the following ways: 

• The number of dropout students due to poverty
• The number of students who encounter challenges due to lack of human resources and basic education infrastructure
• The number of students who have less opportunities to access online learning
• The number of facilitators and teachers hired 
• The number of students who completed Phase I
• The number of students who completed Phase II
• The number of students who get enrolled into formal schools 
• The number of training sessions attended by the facilitators and teachers
• The number of students which lack basic infrastructure and teachers 

As initial stage, we are planning to hire teachers and facilitators as mentioned below.

• Total Staff: 30
• Full-Time: 15
• Part-Time: 15

Our team members are positioned as mentioned below.

• Founder & Program Director: Mr. Thoufeek Mohamed Jarooq, Director, Serving Humanity Foundation, Sri Lanka
• Co-founder and Program Manager: Mr. Philip, Chief of Mission, Serving Humanity Foundation, Sri Lanka.
• Program Coordinator: Mr. Abdul Farook Abdul Halik, (PhD (r), MA, BA, BBA, HNDE)
• Program Officer Academics: Mr. Abdul Bary Thalal Pasi Ahamed
• 20 well-trained and qualified facilitators and teachers
• 5 Technical Team
• 2 Research Assistants

Diversity: Our approach to building a diverse team is that we reach out to all types of communities irrespective of their religion, language and cultural background and invite them to give their full support to provide quality education for every child in Sri Lanka. Currently, we have a diverse team in terms of gender, religion, and cultural background. 

Equity is ensured in terms of TEC's policies and practices. Equal opportunities are given to everyone to perform their roles and responsibility independently. 

We "Serving Humanity Foundation" apply for to solve the problems and challenges exist in Sri Lankan school education. We have planned to solve the problems by establishing a technology-based learning centre, providing quality education through E-learning platform, and overcoming students' dropout from formal education due to poverty  

Nil

We would like to partner with organizations which work in education sector with the aim of providing equal education for free of charge for every child in the country.

Serving Humanity Foundation is a non political, non-religious organized Social entity established in the Eastern port city of Trincomalee in the year 2007 by likeminded professionals and activists in the field of education, social development & Art. SHF is registered as a voluntary service organization under act no 31 of 1980 under the department of Social service in Sri Lanka. SHFs prime objective is to see that the root causes of poverty and social Injustice is tackled through mobilization, knowledge sharing and enhancing resources for the ever excluded marginalized communities in Sri Lanka. SHF clearly sees that the breakage of the social fabric is due to the anti social traits such as social discrimination, illiteracy, poverty and Social Injustice.

Serving Humanity Foundation is a non political, non-religious organized Social entity established in the Eastern port city of Trincomalee in the year 2007 by likeminded professionals and activists in the field of education, social development & Art. SHF is registered as a voluntary service organization under act no 31 of 1980 under the department of Social service in Sri Lanka. SHFs prime objective is to see that the root causes of poverty and social Injustice is tackled through mobilization, knowledge sharing and enhancing resources for the ever excluded marginalized communities in Sri Lanka. SHF clearly sees that the breakage of the social fabric is due to the anti social traits such as social discrimination, illiteracy, poverty and Social Injustice.