Supporting the right to access education through interactive audio lessons: Promoting the role of education as a catalyst for change.

• In Event: Distance Interactive Audio Learning: Defying obscurantism by accessing education where schools and education are attacked

Proposal

During the Covid-19 pandemic, school closures forced 1.6 billion children out of school globally. But in many contexts, school closures are a frequent occurrence and happen for a range of reasons, including natural disasters, armed conflict, and periods of political instability. Where connectivity permits, traditional instruction has moved online but, in many contexts, access to the internet is not sufficiently widespread to make this a viable strategy. Fortunately, there are other technologies that are more accessible, even in low-resource settings, for delivering distance learning.
Continued distance learning is imperative for ensuring the right to education is upheld for all children. Distance learning is broadly defined as teaching and learning where teachers and students are in different physical spaces or in some cases, through in-person groups where trained facilitators or caregivers support and supervise students in completing their lessons. The use of various modalities including audio, video, phone, online and self-directed print-based learning are often utilised in combination based on the context, level and content being delivered.
In the West African countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia, the Ministries of Education broadcast radio lessons during the Ebola pandemic, which kept schools closed for nearly a year in 2014-15. When Covid hit, both countries had the infrastructure in place and were prepared to turn to radio once again to reach children forced out of school. However, both Ministries were interested in improving the quality of their radio-based approach and actively involved local education partners, including Rising Academies. Rising Academies is a growing network of quality-focused schools and partners with government to support improved education delivery within the government system. During Covid, with a clear prioritisation of learning by radio, Rising Academies developed the Rising On Air program.
Rising On Air is a 20-week program of ready-to-air radio scripts, freely accessible online and designed to be adaptable to local contexts. It leverages Rising’s proven, high quality structured curriculum content, redesigned for delivery via low-tech solutions that are widely available around the globe. Rising On Air focuses on foundational learning to promote access and equity, with literacy/Language Arts and numeracy/Math lessons for five different levels across K-12. Rising On Air radio scripts are available in English, French and Arabic, and during Covid were used in over 25 countries through 35 partners, who translated the lessons into 9 other languages.
This presentation will outline some of the key features of the Rising On Air approach and emerging evidence of the impact of interactive audio lessons as a means of ensuring continued access to education. It will highlight the added benefit of accompanying student learning materials and opportunities to include teachers and facilitators in the learning process, to support families and keep them connected.

Author

• Stephanie Dobrowolski, Rising Academy Network