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Literacy Promotion through Mobile Phones

Ichiro Miyazawa UNESCO Islamabad

15-17 November 2009

Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China

The 13th UNESCO-APEID International Conference and

World Bank-KERIS High Level Seminar on ICT in Education

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Contents of this Presentation

1. Why mobile phone for Literacy in Pakistan? 2. How was the project implemented? 3. Results ?4. Costs? 5. Challenges 6. Lesson learnt 7. Sustainability and Expansion

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1. Why mobile phones for literacy in Pakistan

60 million illiterates (Population 160 million)

Wider gender gap (M 63% F 36%)

Low efficiency of traditional literacy approaches

Low retention of literacy

95 million mobile phone users

Communication is fun and habitual

　 Anytime and Anywhere, possible to learn

Short, easy, simple, and interesting messages

Mobile phone and SMS

Literacy in Pakistan

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2. How was the project implemented? Learners : 250 female youth and women (semi-literate) Place: 3 districts in Punjab Province Partners: Mobilink (Mobile Carrier) and Bunyad (NGO) Fund: UNESCO Bangkok (RDF)

1. Refresh basic literacy course (1st month)

2. Learning How to Use Mobile Phone and Starting to receive and send (2nd month)

3. Receiving and sending messages, reading them out and practice them on the working book (2nd month – 5th month)

4. Reporting to literacy centers and having Weekly/Monthly Examination (2nd month – 5th month)

What learners have done What learners have done What learners have done

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3. Results

Test Score C: 0-50 B: 51-69 A: 70-100

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3. Results

Test Score C: 0-50 B: 51-69 A: 70-100

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3. Results

Test Score C: 0-50 B: 51-69 A: 70-100

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4. Costs ( main items for a learner)

Mobile Phone $ 33

SIM card $ 3

600 messages* from NGO (4 months) $ 7.2

Practice sending messages (4 months) $ 4.8

Hiring a teacher (5 months per head) $ 7.2

Total $ 55.2

* Religious lessons, health, environment, sanitation, etc.

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5. Challenges

Cultural and traditional barriers

Limitation of messages in SMS (160 scripts)

Difficulty in typing Urdu

Security situations in Pakistan

Calls from unknown men

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6. Lesson learnt Habit of communication on written messages

Strong confidence of getting literate and being connected among them

Sharing learning with family members (sisters, mothers)

Security of youth and women

Collaboration among a private

company (Mobilink),

a NGO (Bunyad) and UN

worked well

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7. Sustainability and Expansion

Contribution of Learners ($ 6) to continue for the next 4 months

A donor provided the fund for expansion

Pilot Project

Future of this Innovative approach

Program by a mobile carrier, phone manufacturers, and a learner

UN/NGO/Donor/Govt. could support to set starndards, develop messages, and monitor learning.