Internet Free Education Resource Bank

About the Project

This project is one of the 2022 WISE Awards winners. 

 

Context and Issue 

COVID-19 induced school closures led to the disruption of the education and 465 million children worldwide could not be reached through digital, broadcast, and other remote solutions (e.g., TV, radio) There was a need for screen-free solutions to ensure learning continuity, especially for at-risk learners in under-resourced contexts.

 

Solution and Impact

Education Above All’s Innovation Development Directorate (IDD) created the Internet Free Education Resource Bank (IFERB) – a universally accessible collection of project-based learning resources, games, and activities for exploratory and student-led learning. 

Core Features: 

  1. Cost Free and Open-Source 
  2. Internet and Technology Free 
  3. Fun and Engaging 
  4. Intergenerational 
  5. Globally Relevant, Locally Contextualized 
  6. Level-Based Learning for 2 to 16 year-olds 
  7. Interdisciplinary and Holistic 
  8. Low-Resource and Low-Supervision Requiring 

 

IFERB is designed for multiple modalities (distance-learning, blended learning, stand-alone, etc.) and use cases (catch-up and bridge programs, accelerated learning solution, refugee response, etc.). Moreover, IFERB resources are also available in underrepresented languages such a Swahili, Arabic, Punjabi etc. 

IFERB has reached 827,000+ learners in 14+ countries with 30+ partners, including marginalized learners in refugee settlements, remote rural communities, and underserved urban contexts who demonstrated 18% learning progress with minimal supervision and resources.

 

Future Developments 

 

Moving forward, IDD, through strategic partnerships, aspires to deepen IFERB’s accessibility and content diversity, improve its effectiveness as a tool for education in emergencies, and explore opportunities to integrate IFERB into national education frameworks through government endorsements. 

 

Resources 

IFERB’s flexibility and versatility allow learners and partner organisations to select and use resources in a way that is tailor-made to their needs. 

  1. 130+ Project-Based Learning Resources: Hands-on projects, each spanning a week, that encourages children to learn by interacting with their environment. 
  2. 100+ Math Games: Physically and mentally engaging and fun games to practice numeracy skills 3. 15 Learning Packages: Student-facing workbooks that curate the best of IFERB into month-long learning modules across different themes – ECD, World Around Us, SEL, Literacy, Numeracy, etc. 4. Activity Bank for the Differently Abled: A collection of 70 simple activities, curated by experts, for children with special learning needs. 
  3. Refugee Response Packages: Builds on IFERB and designed specifically for the needs of refugee children through unique modules such as ‘Survival English’, ‘Know Your Host Country’, etc. 6. Arabic Storyweaver: A collection of 100+ stories in Arabic with guiding questions and activities to improve reading comprehension. 

 

May 19, 2022 (last update 09-28-2022)