Case Study - Early Learners Assessment App

Overview

The Ministry of Education in Malawi partnered with Digital Arts and Converged Technology Networks to develop a cutting-edge Learners Assessment Tablet App, funded by USAID. This innovative solution aimed to monitor child labor and education trends by capturing early learner activity at the grassroots level in over 6,000 primary schools nationwide. The app exemplifies our expertise in creating digital solutions that tackle complex social issues and our ability to collaborate effectively with government agencies, international organizations, and strategic partners.

Empowering Teachers with Data-Driven Insights

The Learners Assessment Tablet App empowers teachers to conduct regular assessments and track individual learner performance, even in low-connectivity environments. By providing data-driven insights into student progress, the app enables teachers to identify at-risk learners who may be struggling academically due to potential involvement in child labor. This early identification allows for timely interventions and support to help these students stay in school and away from child labor.

Facilitating Cross-Departmental Collaboration

One of the key strengths of the Learners Assessment Tablet App is its ability to facilitate secure data sharing and collaboration between the Ministry of Education and other relevant government departments, such as the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. This cross-departmental data sharing enables a holistic understanding of the relationship between educational outcomes and child labor practices, allowing for targeted interventions and support for at-risk learners and their families.

Driving Educational Policy and Resource Allocation

The app's powerful data analytics capabilities provide valuable insights into educational trends at the school, district, and national levels. By generating performance charts and graphs for individual learners and class averages over time, the app enables stakeholders to identify patterns and correlations between educational outcomes and child labor prevalence. These insights inform policy decisions and resource allocation, driving efforts to combat child labor and promote education.

Offline-First Design for Challenging Environments

Recognizing the challenges posed by limited internet connectivity in many of Malawi's schools, Digital Arts and Converged Technology Networks developed the Learners Assessment Tablet App with an offline-first design. The app stores assessment data locally on the device and securely synchronizes with the central database whenever an internet connection is available. This approach ensures that teachers can continuously conduct assessments and record data, even in remote areas with poor connectivity, making the app a reliable tool in the fight against child labor.