Zanzibar: World Mobile and Epson accelerate connectivity in Zanzibar schools

Telecommunications company World Mobile, through a partnership with imaging firm Epson, are supporting education in Zanzibar, by providing the technological tools that inspire children to learn and teachers to teach.

In a statement, World Mobile said it has helped schools in Zanzibar connect to the internet, thus broadening the educational offering to students as well as supporting teachers with accessing material and enhancing the teaching process.

Education is a powerful agent of change, improving health and livelihoods and driving long-term economic growth and a disadvantaged education can lead to a lack of skills access and fewer opportunities in the job market.

World Mobile said this isn’t just a problem for those in lower income countries – this is a worldwide issue, and one that has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. Girls, children with disabilities and refugee children are at a particular disadvantage.

The UN reports that in 2018, nearly a fifth of the global population of school-aged children were not in school (about 260 million children), and they estimate that in 2030, only 60% of young people will complete upper secondary education.

“Inequalities [in Sub-Saharan Africa] will … worsen unless the digital divide – the gap between under-connected and highly digitalised countries – is not addressed,” said the UN on why quality education matters.

With children’s varied learning styles and abilities, using technology to deliver education in different ways is vital. It can speed up learning and children can be more attentive. In some cases, it has shown to reduce absenteeism, said World Mobile.

Technology can also support teachers in accessing teaching material and professional development resources.

Epson’s printers and projectors, alongside World Mobile’s low-cost wireless network, are bringing new ways of learning to Zanzibari schools, with an emphasis on environmental and economic sustainability.

World Mobile is also working with the Tanzanian government and teachers at the frontline of education, to open up opportunities not just for the school children, but for the whole community.

The company said each school will become a technological hub of education and life-long learning, run by the people, for the people.