This project will develop an e-learning and ICT-based education for a girls' boarding school in the rural county of Mesti, southwest Morocco. Girls between ages of 11-18 who reside at the boarding school are the first generation of Berber girls to pursue their education and live away from their traditional, conservative families and households; their mothers remain illiterate and innumerate. Despite this progress, the girls are poorly trained and have limited educational background.
This poor remote region has limited access to information, lacks current scientific data, has a high-turnover of teachers, and is multilingual (limited language proficiency compromises knowledge-transmission). The girls have no academic support that ensures they follow curriculum properly and are not trained to pursue scientific paths since it is deemed to be a male domain. When the girls take their final high-school exams and join higher education, their performances are weak and limit growth.
We are developing an interactive e-learning platform that is accessible and easy-to-learn and connects the girls to certified instructors via ICT hardware. These include mobile phones, tablets, laptops and software and services such as text messaging, online learning platforms, social media and multimedia. We aim to equip the girls with skills in science and technology that can improve their academic performance, enhance their motivation, and expand their choices for future university studies.
This is a capacity-building project that enhances young women's education and introduces the fields of science and technology to them by breaking the taboo that women do not belong in science. As the girls complete the program and finish high school, they will be better trained to pursue further education in cities and extend their scope of possibilities to include science and technology. Thus, women's progress can increase family acceptance of female education as a process of community growth.
