The Good Life Education Project

• The Good Life Education is a project that uses social-emotional learning (SEL) technology to recover from covid-19, adjust socially and emotionally to learning differently among students and teachers in community schools. Studies have shown that individuals from community schools especially in least developed countries are more likely to lack competitive advantage in the classroom and at risk of dropping out of high school. Most of such schools are in poor communities, the schools are poorly equipped and children are given poor education thereby contributing to poverty cycles. Investment in quality education is a pathway to breaking poverty cycle. 
• Our solution is to use social-emotional learning technology to contribute to breaking poverty cycles. 
• On an individual level, the skills learned within a SEL program have been shown to help student globally better cope with emotional stress, improved academic performance, solve problems, and avoid peer pressure to engage in harmful activities. 

• There are over 20,314 Primary schools in Uganda spread across 135 Districts. Of these schools; 12,042 are government schools and 8,272 are private schools. Of the 12,042 government schools, 4,115 are community schools. Mbarara District has 33 of the 4,115 community schools. 
• Good Life Education project targets the 33 community schools in Mbarara District. The government pays little or no attention to community schools. These communities are poor, the schools are poorly equipped and children are given poor education resulting in poverty cycles. This cycle is made worse with the Covid-19 pandemic. 
• Many of the students in these schools were disadvantaged during Covid-19 lockdown because they don’t have access to radio, television, computers and other mobile gadgets to access online learning. Moreover, these children have been at home for over a year and just returning to school. It may take some times for them to adjust and recover socially and emotionally from over 12 months of academic inactivity. 
• Our solution is to bridge this gap through the use of social-emotional learning technology to recover, adjust socially and emotionally to learning in a quicker and better way.

• Good Life Education project offers the solution of using Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) technology to recover, adjust socially and emotionally to learning in a quicker and better way. Social-Emotional Learning is a computer program that assesses solution that combines daily behaviour recording and student survey data on a single platform. This one-of-a-kind combination of real-time SEL skills, behaviour and climate data enables powerful analysis to inform social-emotional learning curriculum and program implementation.

• How it works, purchase of computers and software installations, teachers use the software to record student behaviours in real-time while students complete quick guided and independent 6-item, monthly surveys in the Kickboard student portal on the mobile app or the web. Also, teachers, school counselors and administrators access SEL skill, behaviour, and climate data on Kickboard’s robust reporting platform which provides flexibility for analyzing and reporting—access all your critical culture data in one central location.

• The benefit of using SEL is that student development of SEL skills can be measured overtime at the individual, classroom, schoolwide and districtwide levels. Included in intervention plan monitoring, it becomes easier to identify and record a demonstration of targeted SEL skills as part of behavioural intervention plans.

• Mbarara is a District in the Western Region of Uganda. The 2002 national census estimated the district population at about 361,500, with an estimated growth rate of about 2.2%. 55% of the district population is aged between 0 and 18 years. In 2012, the district population was estimated at approximately 445,600.
• Our solution target 5% of the age 0-18 of the district population who are in community primary schools. Oftentimes, the government pays little or no attention to community schools. These communities are poor, the schools are poorly equipped and children are given poor education resulting in poverty cycles.
• Currently, we are working in partnership with SPEFONI, a nongovernmental organization with the main aim to provide the needy with good healthcare, clothing, food, housing and education and that all persons deserve a good life and our ambition is to make it happen.
• The 2020 Mbarara District primary schools performance indicators show enrolment to be 5,691. Hence, this solution will impact more than 1000 pupils in 33 community schools. The impact will be seen in the improvement in well-being, reduced problem behaviours, enhanced academic achievement gains, and development of skills critical to success in high school, college and career.

• The challenge is looking for technology-based solutions that ensure all primary and secondary school learners have access to quality, safe, and equitable learning environments.  
• Our solution align with the challenge in that it seek to increase the engagement of learners in remote, hybrid, and physical environments, including strategies and tools for peer interaction, and guided independent work. 
• Students and teachers have been at home for over a year and may take some times for them to adjust and recover socially and emotionally to the new normal. 
• Our solution is technology-based bridging this gap through provision of equitable learning environments.

The stage of development is a Concept stage. It is an idea being explored for its feasibility to build a product, service, or business model based on that idea. Essentially, this process is broken up into five basic steps: ideation, competition, organization, branding & marketing, and pitching. The stage we are currently is pitching. Pitches are presentations created in order to help entrepreneurs communicate with investors to raise money to fund their venture.

• Good life Education project solution is innovative in that social-emotional learning technology is not currently in use in the region in the schools. I’m a development scholar; the idea was developed based on poverty analysis programs, community development programs, and strategies for sustainable community-led development. 
• This is an innovative approach to poverty reduction and breaking poverty cycles in the families who are able to put their ward in primary schools. 
• The unique thing about the innovation is that it is not difficult to maintain and has a multiplier effect to enable broader positive impacts for others. 
• Also, the power supply is not a challenge in the region. 
• Once the teachers and school management are thought how to use the program, they can interact with students on the platform effortlessly. They can manage the project without requiring additional funding. 

Currently serving: The idea is at concept stage

We will serve over 1,000 in one year.

We will serve over 5, 000 in 5 years.

A standardized social-emotional learning test will be conducted at the start of the program and again at the end of the school year to determine social and emotional development and improved reading and writing skills. 

Sampson Edodi has Master of Arts in Development Studies (in view), Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Uganda. He is a research associate with cutting-edge proficiency in international development research. He has worked in program monitoring & evaluation, baseline and feasibility studies, and project management for Africa's regional organizations and other nongovernmental organizations. Experienced in operations management, risk assessments, occupational safety and environmental impact assessment. Sampson Edodi is a Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth scholar, policy researcher, strategy development expert and a prolific writer. He has the expertise to manage the project.

I have a multidisciplinary background. Trained in strategic management, interpersonal relational, cultural diversity and social inclusion.