Leveraging technology to empower parents and caregivers in strengthening literacy for children aged 3-12 in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• In Event: Roundtable Session 12
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: The impact and challenges of digital technology and education policies on youth

Proposal

The rapid digital transformations of the 21st century have reshaped education, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the home became the classroom for many children (Strielkowski, Korneeva and Gorina, 2022). This shift has underscored the power of parents and caregivers in supporting children's education, especially in marginalised and poorly resourced communities (Akinrinmade et al., 2021). This roundtable presentation will explore the potential of technology to empower parents and caregivers in enhancing language development and literacy acquisition for children aged 3-12 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In this presentation, we will draw on case studies from research engagements as well as practical insights from on-the-ground practitioners to offer a comprehensive perspective on this issue. The research component engaged parents and caregivers in rural and under-resourced communities in Ghana and Nigeria using community-based participatory research (Israel et al., 1998), and rooted in asset-based community development (Kretzmann and McKnight, 1995). This work was undertaken by OU researchers working in international education and funded by the mc2h Foundation (December 2023-September 2024).
Insights from practitioners involved in the Nigeria Reads project will be informed by a collaborative project with Wootlab during the COVID-19 global school closures (2021). The initiative empowered parents and caregivers in 20 rural and under-resourced communities in Nigeria with basic digital skills and supported their use of devices and multimedia resources to improve basic literacy.
By focusing on participatory and culturally relevant approaches, the discussion will highlight how digital platforms can engage parents and caregivers in Sub-Saharan Africa’s most vulnerable communities as key stakeholders in children's literacy development. Practical examples will demonstrate the role of mobile technologies, online learning platforms, and community-led digital initiatives in transforming the educational landscape for children aged 3-12. The presentation will also address the ethical implications of digitalisation in education, ensuring that technological advancements do not further marginalise those already at risk. We will also discuss the challenges of implementing this digital education initiative in rural contexts, where limited infrastructure and access persist, while highlighting indigenous strategies to address these barriers.
Ultimately, this roundtable presentation seeks to propose actionable solutions to harness this potential and improve literacy outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa by highlighting key findings from both research and practitioner engagement. Findings reveal that while equipping parents and caregivers in low-resource communities with foundational digital literacy skills significantly enhances their transformative power in fostering children’s literacy and language development, many still lack devices with sufficient capacity to support educational apps or digital content, limiting the effectiveness of purely digital literacy initiatives. Additionally, it reveals that the voices of parents and caregivers are not often reflected in the development of digital content and educational resources. Policymakers and educators must find ways to provide an equitable response to education in a digital society. Digital content must be tailored to reflect local content and cultural contexts to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of digital literacy tools.

Authors

• Margaret Ebubedike, The Open University (UK)

• Eric Addae-Kyeremeh Addae-Kyeremeh, The Open University

• Kingsley Sintim, Nigeria Reads