Dar es Salaam -- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a two-year US$2 million grant to the International Youth Foundation (IYF) to implement an innovative education program in Tanzania that will benefit students in remote schools. The Bridgeit program aims to significantly increase educational quality and student achievement in participating primary schools in math, science and life skills through the innovative use of cell phones and digital technology. IYF is implementing Bridgeit in close partnership with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (MoEVT), the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), Nokia Corporation, and Pearson Foundation.

 

Through Bridgeit, primary school teachers will be able to access a wide variety of digital video and text content ‘on-demand’ through a cellular phone equipped with an innovative software catalog and player that downloads content directly from the server to a TV in the classroom. After viewing the videos, students participate in interactive lessons facilitated by the teacher. “This technology allows high quality content and teacher support to be delivered to remote areas at the cost of a cell phone call,” announced Zamara-di Said, FAWE’s project officer. In the next two years, the project will target a minimum of 1,000 primary school teachers and 10,000 rural and urban primary school students.