Teachers Empowerment Platform (TEP)

Linking  educators to learn, reflect and innovate.

We are committed to solving a problem of lack of continuous professional development for educators. There are limited opportunities connecting pre-service teachers,  in-service teachers and teacher educators. Such limitations limit joint content  creation, sharing of ideas, experiences,  best practices, lessons learnt and mentoring of each other during the teaching practice. Majority of the educators continue to use teacher centered methods of teaching yet the ideal is to use participatory learner centered methods of teaching and learning that engage the learner in the learning process. There is also a low perception towards the teaching profession from the general public and the teachers themselves. This has brought on the scene a breed of unmotivated teachers and a good number of skilled and experienced teachers leaving the profession.  

Teachers Empowerment Platform (TEP) seeks to connect teachers through our two faceted system. This can be done either virtually by accessing our online platform as a medium of intellectual exchange or physical access through the Teacher's Tech Hub. The Tech Hub will serve as a one stop center through which teachers will engage in content creation, sharing ideas, best practices as well as acquisition of usable Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and other participatory learner centered methods. 

Our solution is going to empower teachers across Sub-Saharan Africa through creating good working competencies, a culture of continuous reflection on own practices that will improve the quality of education producing learners that are critical, analytical, flexible, with a practical approach to life.

Our solution will create a benchmark of efficiency in the teaching process. Through both the virtual platform and the teachers’ tech hub, teachers will be in position to leverage their opportunities and experiences as a starting point for quality content creation. The set up will be customized to the different content areas. The sharing of ideas through the platform and also through interactions in the teachers’ tech hub will give teachers capacity to adapt and evolve to meet the ever changing demands of the teaching process.

Through our solution, technology will be manifest two-fold. One, through the virtual platform that will link teachers in different schools, countries and regions. The platform will have the necessary resources in terms of teaching materials and professional development courses. Secondly, the teachers tech hub will provide an avenue for much needed collaboration between technical team of content developers, creators and teachers that that will go a long way in meaningful content creation. 

To increase the number of educators that are collectively creating content, integrating participatory learner centered methods  and information communication technology in the teaching and learning process.

a) Form working teams and embark on subject teams making content jointly.

b) Train the team members in  and it integrating participatory learner centered methods  and information communication technology.

c) Create an interactive online platform and resource center for teachers and educators.

d) Set up a Teachers Tech Hub

We envision a connected learning community of teachers and educators 

We plan to utilize the virtual online platform and the Teachers Tech Hub to build the capacity of teachers and educators in participatory learner centered methods and the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning.

The trained teachers will train other teachers and share skills as well as implement them in their teaching processes. This will in the long run create a critical mass of educators that will effect change in their various communities.

We will reach and retain customers through:

a)The TEP website as well as social media platforms through which they will engage in interactions.

b) Printed marketing materials

c) Teachers Tech Hub within the Community Libraries and Empowerment Center run by PeerLink Initiative Uganda (PELI-U) an organization that has been incubating TEP since 2013.

d) Having ever evolving programs that will ensure a continued interest on the part of the teachers and educators. Through our database we will keep customers updated on our programs and respond to any feedback we are given so as to tailor our plans with their expectations

Currently we are working with 50 teachers who are linked using face book and whatsapp. We also organize periodic one on one meetings for the teachers in our team where we share and plan.

 We also  carry out physical school based training's and sensitization for teachers and administrators.

We expect to reach 180 teachers in 12 months using our different platforms through:

a) The online TEP platform and Teachers Tech Hub

b) The social media platforms

c) Through 3 Community Libraries and Empowerment Centers (Teachers Hub) (Nyarushanje Community Library and Empowerment Center - functional, Rukungiri District Headquarters Community Library and Empowerment Center-The District has already allocated space and Kampala Community Library and Empowerment - to be set up soon.

In me three years time we expect to have reached 400 teachers

The big number of our team members  are educators including teacher trainers, in-service teachers,  pre-service teachers and school administrators.  They have content creation skills, teaching skills, ICT skills and have integrated ICT and participatory learner centered methods in teaching and leaning

We also have 2 social scientists , 2 photographers and video makers,  2 IT technical team members, 1 Lawyer and we hope to attract more Technology focused team members

I believe that Solve will help to link us with innovative team members that will provide us with the know-how to polish our idea, develop an application through the teachers tech tub to link the key educators to collectively engage in continuous professional development for quality education. Through Solve we will get teams to work with to pitch our idea, link us with other members that can add value to our idea. We seek to attract potential partners to enable us implement our idea and scale it up to reach more educators.  

Technological barriers and lack of skilled manpower to advance our solution. - Solve can link us to skilled technical partners.

Risk avoidance - Solve can help us find and develop like minded supporters.

Lack of equipment by the users - Solve can guide us in coming up with cost effective equipment and facilities

Inadequate funding to implement our idea - Solve can help link us to potential funders, guide us on how to break and create short term successes

Lack of analyzed data Solve can aid us as we come up with a system for handling and analyzing collected data