Nomadic Schools Meet Mobile Technology
There are a number of indigenous populations around the world that live a nomadic lifestyle. The question is, what schooling systems can accommodate these populations?
Since the 1920's and 30's, nomadic schools have attempted to provide a basic education for the children of mobile communities. In Siberia, families follow reindeer migration routes which take them to some of the harshest weather conditions in the region. According to UNESCO, which is trying to modernize these nomadic school efforts, a small student population is usually taught by one teacher and must utilize textbooks written in their native language. The following is an excerpt from a UNESCO article published in 2007 describing nomadic schools in the region:
"The Nomadic Schools Development Centre proposes seven different models for nomadic communities:
The combined nomadic school – kindergarten brings nomadic pre-schoolers closer to the traditions and way of life of their people through daily communication with their families.
The community school is a small mainstream school, integrated in the community where the minority lives.
The private tutor moves in with the nomadic community and teaches the children in local conditions.
In the Taiga (forestry) school, the parents tutor their own children. This study programme is combined with sessions in a mainstream school.
Pupils in the Combined basic-nomadic school alternate between mainstream school and the nomadic community.
The network nomadic school moves between several herder communities. The teaching combines regular and correspondence classes. Frequent meetings take place between teachers and parent-tutors.
The nomadic summer school teaches native languages and traditional culture. It targets children who no longer speak the indigenous mother tongue."
Similarly, efforts are underway in Kenya, which is striving to target girls. Ever since free primary education was introduced in the country five years ago, the number of boys enrolled in schools has consistently been almost double to that of girls. This reflects their culture, which favors that girls tend to the herds. While they travel, the boys are left behind under the care of the elders, during which they can attend school.
In order to address the disparity in access to education, a total five facilities have been established in the Garissa district, with 10 more on their way. In an article written by Joyce Mulama, Salat Muhammed Adan, area assistant chief said, "This will ensure that children, girls in particular, access education wherever they are, even as they graze their animals."
Whether students are in northern Siberia or northern Kenya, it looks like French-based company Sarl has a solution for nomadic schools: WapEduc. Sarl plans to deploy an e-learning system that has 1,100+ lessons plans and allows teachers to upload their own curriculum. In a recent interview, Phillipe Steger, creator of WapEduc said, "WapEduc is free, accessible through all operators and types of phones. It is the cost of the downloading time that needs to be calculated."
It will be interesting to see how this system fares against the use of other mobile devices and if these new technologies will truly resolve the challenge of bringing quality basic education to nomadic children.
For the full interview with Steger, see: http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/news156_english.php