Bridging Online Learning Divide (BOLD)

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT 

The objective of the project is to increase more than 5,000 underserved children’s educational opportunities in Bangladesh by promoting the use of the Internet to create relevant, authentic and engaging learning experiences in blended learning environments, working directly with 200 teachers and 2,000 parents over the course of 24 months.

The project also intends to employ equity-sensitive programming by implementing interventions targeting the children left farthest behind by the effects of COVID-19 school closure. It believes that to build back better, equipping teachers and students, and employing community-based interventions is the most effective way of addressing learning loss as well as developing their educational resilience for future shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic. 

WHY IS THIS PROJECT IMPORTANT? 

The long closure of schools is forcing everyone in education to consider technology-based intervention to keep children learning. However, there are key barriers to harnessing the potential of the Internet for learning: (1) Students from underserved communities are seldom exposed to Internet-enabled learning experiences and rarely develop autonomy and agency for self-paced learning using the Internet (2) Teachers are ill-prepared and inadequately supported to design and facilitate online learning, and (3) Parents/Caregivers are not ready to support students’ online learning at home. 

So, while efforts are being made to deploy digital learning programmes to combat the COVID-19 pandemic (using different Internet-enabled low- and high-tech solutions), significant gaps remain in developing relevant knowledge, skills and values among students, teachers and parents, especially from underserved communities. 

The project addresses these critical skills gaps, working closely with underserved students, parents/caregivers and school communities in Dhaka and Chattogram to increase educational opportunities by delivering Internet-enabled blended learning to address learning gaps, in alignment with the National Blended Education for All (BEFA) framework.