A VIRTUAL SCHOOL FOR EDUCATION IN CRISES IN THE MENA REGION

Sahabati – My cloud

Setting the stage

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50000

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150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

400000

450000

500000

Turkey Lebanon Jordan Iraq Egypt

Syrian children in formal, non-formal education and out of school

Formal Education

Non formal education

Out of school

November 2015

700,000 out of school150,000 in NFE600,000 in formal education

Challenges

Scaling up access Quality and learning

Overstretched and overburdened formal and non-formal provision

Language and curriculum challenges

Lack of learning spaces Lack of capacity by teachers and systems to deal with stress, lost years of schooling, and difference

High costs of second shifts Low quality and unstructured NFE provision

Certification Social cohesion

Lack of clarity in certificationprocesses

Sense of dispersion

Inadequate assessments Multiple curricula and content

No accreditation of NFE

Objective

To provide refugee children and adolescents

affected by crises in the region with the

opportunity to continue their education and

receive certification for their learning

irrespective of changed location and lost

schooling time.

Target group: out of school children and

those in low quality NFE.

What is Sahabati?

• Online Arabic curriculum, with an interactive and

multimedia enhanced approach.

• Four core subjects (Arabic, English, Math and

Science).

• Online assessments and testing.

• Certification provided for grades 9 and 12.

• Blended approach combining online learning

with access to learning spaces (formal or non-

formal), tutoring by teachers and facilitators, and

communication with peers.

A long term vision

• Right of children and adolescents affected

by crises to continue their education

regardless of location (ensuring portability of

learning).

• Right to a formal structured quality and

certified education.

• Sense of identity and belonging for refugee

and displaced children.

• ‘Inclusion’ model of education.

Sahabati’s advantages

Scaling up access Learning

Capacity to reach children with different age groups, in diverse settings, through multiple shifts (shorter learning time)

Structured content/ curriculum

Mobile solutions: schools going to the children Interactive content with enriched pedagogy

Cost-effectiveness of online solutions Children learning at their pace (individualized assessments and learning)

Enhanced teaching: teachers as facilitators (including to accompany children with lost years of schooling and learning difficulties)

Certification Social cohesion

Assessment system Continuity of education

Certification for grades 9 and 12 Consistent harmonized content and approach

Policy frameworks for recognition Restoring sense of identity and belonging

Platform development

• Open-source platform customization.

• Management of registration, assessments

and certification.

• Quality assurance mechanisms.

• Offline solutions.

• Maintenance of ICT platform and updating of

content.

Content development

• Digitization of Arabic curriculum (4 core

subjects, grades 1-12).

• Enhancement of content; interactive module;

enhanced communication.

• Blended approach.

• Teacher professional development package.

• Piloting and testing.

Operationalization at country level

• Country operational plans and management

of initiative at country level.

• Learning spaces (schools, centers, mobile

solutions) and requirements (hardware,

connection, electricity, management).

• Teacher/facilitator training.

• Community outreach and engagement.

Policy and partnership frameworks

• Establishment of policy framework in

collaboration with regional and international

recognized institutions.

• Establishment of partnership framework to

manage the initiative.

THANK YOU!

For more information, please contact

Name: Dina Craissati

Title Regional Education Advisor

Telephone 00962 7 9589 4140

Email dcraissati@unicef.org

UNICEF Middle East & North Africa Regional Office

P.O. Box 1551

Amman 11821

Jordan

Tel: +962-6-550-2400

© UNICEF MENARO 2016

Cover photo © UNICEF2015