Effective of Application of ICT in Literacy & CE CLC Regional Conference Shaheen Attiq-ur-Rahman BUNYAD FOUNDATION UNESCO Bangkok September 2011 Fakhar-ud-Din UNESCO

Poverty

Background Below 14 years - 44% (approx 30 + millions) Literacy level female rural - 21% status vey low 74% live on less than $2 a day Lose 3 women in child birth every 20 minutes Rural areas left on mercies of global warming/water shortages. No relief for rural families/esp. women /children law etc MDG’s… no criteria achieved by Pakistan Rural-urban divide immense, affects women more so Insecurity: huge budget cuts Education/AE Dependency 80% : 20% productive citizens (44% age -14 women’s work not recognized)

Gender Gaps in Development Female Rural Lit % Literate 65% Illiterate Total Illiterates Million Million Source: 1998 Census

Why mobile phones for literacy in Pakistan? 97 million mobile phone users /180 mil. Pop. = 50% users Illiterate rural women nearly 70% Wider gender gap (M- 63%, F- 36%) Low efficiency of traditional literacy approaches Low retention of literacy Communication is fun and habitual Anytime and Anywhere, possible to learn Short, easy, simple, and interesting messages Mobile phone and SMS Literacy in Pakistan

Monitoring and Evaluation

How to Do? Checked by Bunyad MLC Incharge SMS (Bunyad IT Section Send Message through Software) Received By Teacher & Learner Learner Write on Note Book Checked by Mobilizers Learners Response through SMS to Bunyad & their families Teacher Checked Notebook & Taking test every week

Training & test SMS NGO Software Application Operational Methodology:

Holy Quran & Hadis Health & Children Care HygieneNutrition Body Care Law & Union Council Environment Economy Livestock General Knowledge SkillsQuotationRecipesTipsRiddlesJokesPoetry Topics of the SMS

Month Activities 0 Basic literacy course at literacy centers 1st Provision of Mobile phones and its orientation Start receiving and sending messages Work on workbook (copying messages by hand-writing) and read it out repeatedly 2nd Receive and send messages Work on workbook (copying messages by hand-writing) and read it out repeatedly Listening of teachers and writing 3rd Receive and send messages Work on workbook (copying messages by hand-writing) and read it out repeatedly Reply messages and answer questions 4th Receive and send messages Work on workbook (copying messages by hand-writing) and read it out repeatedly Reply messages and answer questions Steps Learning Process Female Learners in 3 Districts in Punjab Province

Costs ( main items for a learner ) Mobile Phone $ 33 SIM card $ messages sent (4 months) $ 7.2 Sending messages (4 months)$ 4.8 Hiring a teacher (5 months per head)$ 7.2 Total $ 55.2

Local Committee E-Learning Resource Centers Social service Department Agriculture department Municipalities (Drainage, Streetlights) Livestock department Department of Health, Nutrition, Family Planning Cooperatives Non-Formal Education Department Donors Formal System High Education Other NGOs CLC Activity of CLC

How was the project implemented? Learners :1250 female youth and women (semi-literate) Place:4 districts in Punjab Province Partners:Mobilink (Mobile Carrier) and Bunyad (NGO) Fund:UNESCO Bangkok (RDF) Refresh basic literacy course (1st month) Learning How to Use Mobile Phone and Starting to receive and send (2nd month) Receiving and sending messages, reading them out and practice them on the working book (2nd month – 5th month) Reporting to literacy centers and having Weekly/Monthly Examination (2nd month – 5th month) What learners have done?

Sustainability and Expansion Contribution of Learners ($ 6) to continue for the next 4 months A donor provided the fund for expansion Local donors being tapped Making efforts for self financing this activity Pilot Project Future of this Innovative Approach Subsidies being found from phone manufacturers Linking with AIOU, distance learning for LLL. In-process of making a computer software for transfer from SMS. UN/NGO/Donor/Govt. could support to set standards, develop messages, and monitor learning.

Strengths Illiterate rural young women taught the 3 R’s…reading, writing …& numeracy, learning to use the calculator Messages, to open the window of new ideas, health, religious, nutrition, child care, law etc Short learning duration technology use Improved communication, leaving isolation Besides becoming self Learners /tremendous confidence Excited to learn, no dropouts! Know how to read,write even newspaper headings Best result know what home of their children/siblings Use of calculator helps them in marketing Messages have given a new vision: hygiene, nutrition, law

Gaps Still this pilot needs more time Male/ family suspicion an issue. Suspicion by elders/ male relatives about its use Script difficult, in Arabic we have Urdu Companies not too helpful, in cost sharing Bit expensive :55$ per Learner (5 months +)

Recommendations Technology positive in attracting AE. Adult Education must be given focus for Poverty alleviation. Budget allocation of AE must get more funds. Women‘s work must be recognized, new definitions of the economic indicators be looked into. Need more lobbyist for this. International focus is not too keen on Population spacing. This is one reason for poverty. Young girls age must be given focus on. North-South inter-action of Research & Development is vital. Youth must under-stand that this World is one, we have to work together. For Peace & Prosperity…..Poverty has to go. Tomorrow is best handled by literate and confident women

Here comes your footer  Page 20 CD’s as Post Literacy + Teachers Training CLC Computer for rural females Brick kiln/bonded labor computers Microbe Literacy :awareness raising BUNYAD Interventions in ICT

It is better to light a Candle Then to curse the darkness