Afghan Women/Girls reach 4th Grade Literacy

One of our most effective fast track classes is the innovative 4 month long Mobile Literacy Class. These classes were started in 2013 and are complimentary to the regular literacy classes. Many of the women are adolescent, under 25 year olds.

The students are given mobile phones and taught how to use them. The teacher sets questions which students answer by text message either individually or by group work. Remarkably most students progress from not knowing the alphabet or at most reading at 1st grade level to reading at 4th grade level by the end of the course! Texting is used as a means to accelerate literacy acquisition but also to engage women in discourse and create social bonds between classmates and friends reducing isolation. All students love this format and text much more than required by the syllabus.

"I am Satayesh and I am 23 years old. I really am so happy to have this rare opportunity to be part of a class like this. The class is good as it makes us focus more on learning new technology, how better to use a mobile phone, messaging and making emergency calls. Through the class I have made new friends who I share my problems with and we find solutions together. I am motivated to participate in regular school after this class because I found out how important knowledge is.”

There were 10 classes running through 31 August for 350 women in Herat city area. 86% of this women reached Grade 4 literacy and 14% are at Grade 3. A great result!

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The ever popular Mobile Literacy Classes are underway with 10 classes running from 1 May to 31 August for 350 women.  We fully anticipate that 85-90% of these women will be reading at the 4^th grade level by the end of the 4 months. That is how effective this literacy program is!  Texting is used as a means to accelerate literacy acquisition, engage women in discourse and create social bonds reducing isolation. The teacher sets questions by text which the students must respond to in kind.All students love this format and text much more than required by the syllabus. The students start out with little or no literacy skill, quickly progressing while having fun and socializing.

Thanks for your support. 

News

Recently, the Professor Sakena Yacoobi High School, Herat won an International School Award from the British Council. The awards go to schools that demonstrate a commitment to developing global citizens by embedding internationalism throughout the ethos and curriculum of the school. The Director of the British Council, Afghanistan said: “This globally recognized accreditation helps enrich learning & improve teaching by guiding international learning activities, from introducing international education into the curriculum to embedding it within school culture.”