Two successful GG's (1638881 & 2095630), 10+ years of club service in rural schools brought clarity and potential to scale our program. Well-intended teachers lacking digital or collaborative teaching expertise resulted in schools lacking modern technology, disengaged students and societal issues of disengaged youth. GG1638881 implemented 2 interactive classrooms in Veracruz. Results showed that ALL previously disengaged students became actively engaged in learning and wanting to attend digital classrooms. For sustainability, the project was taken to the main teacher training college, La Normal. GG 2095630 unified RCs of Santiago, Playa Coronado & Panamá Norte to implement the program in Santiago and at 2 satellite schools, used for student teacher professional practice. Outcomes reinforced enlarging the project and addressing the digital gap in public schools. This scale up proposal will leverage the presence of Rotarians and Rotary Clubs participating in the proposal from the 8 provinces where the project will be scaled up. Public education accommodates 88% of Panama's student population, of which only 40% have access to internet and 30% access to computers. In private schools (only 12% student population) 90% have access to internet and 75% have access to computers. Meduca stated that during the pandemic 45% of public schools were totally disconnected so students did not receive classes, unlike private schools where students adapted readily to virtual lessons. This program of scale will increase the reach and impact of teaching methodologies using TICs in classrooms to ensure that new generations of students from public schools will have the competencies and access to technology (eg laptop computers) to function effectively in the modern world. This scale up program proposes a model of accessibility to technology where internet (or digital devices) will not be available soon, thus reducing the difference between remote schools that are not currently included in the technological world. Panama has 3106 public schools, 40%+ have difficult access, internet is not available. This program considers two different proven models of bringing teaching methodologies to these schools. According to a CIEDU* study this digital gap translates to 7 out of 10 children not having access to computers in their home and 4 out of 10 not having internet access. Teachers' lack digital competencies compounds the difference between the private and public schools. Panama consistently scores poorly in the two comparative studies that measure educational outcomes, 71 out 79 in PISA (2018) and ERCE (2019) that measure the learning outcomes in maths, reading and writing in children of 3rd & 6th grade. Panama is committed to the UN's SDGS 4, that by 2030 the country will "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all'. This program will contribute to reaching this goal by working with the Ministry of Education in the 8 selected provinces and the main teachers training college and to the implementation of the law on digital transformation in the education system enacted in April of 2022.
The proposal has developed a comprehensive program that deals with 4 major pillars:- 1. Implementation of digital interactive classrooms, mobile and fixed, in 8 of 10 provinces in Panama by a scaling of the infrastructure in technology. 2. Organizational development that includes all the coordination mechanisms with all stakeholders ensuring an institutionalization of the interventions and development of educational policies contributing to the digitalization of the education system of Panama. 3. Training of Teachers and Students in digital competencies. For a better use of developed infrastructure and use of software for a better teaching environment. 4. Development of a CENTER PRO EDUCATION contributing to the continuing training of teachers and students in digital competencies plus a repository of digital educational material for further use by teachers. The program will be accompanied by a well-structured monitoring and evaluation system plus a strategy of program communication to allow a strong buy-in of the stakeholders and general community. Infrastructure development consisting of the implementation of the hardware with the necessary student and teacher furniture for more collaborative teaching. The RACHEL system will be implemented into areas where there is no internet, as mobile classrooms. These mobile classrooms will be linked to a fixed classroom - with digital boards - where there is appropriate connectivity facilitating the updating of the educational material for the RACHEL system. An extremely important pillar in our model is the continuing training in digital competencies as well as digital methodologies that facilitate a more creative and motivational learning experience for the primary beneficiaries, children in the basic public schools in Panama. The pilot projects have already proven that where we had demotivated students, now all the children want to participate in classes, where children were not completing their work, now they are the first ones to finish. Together with applications for teachers to create their own content, there has been the identification of applications with adequate content accessible to teachers like Khan Academy, Edmodo, Geogebra, ESTER and others, all accessible free to teachers, and students. A CENTER PRO EDUCATION, based on evolutionary psychology and neurosciences, inserted in the UTP structure, will provide the necessary elements for continuing training processes and updating of knowledge by teachers and students alike. Coordination mechanisms, together with the monitoring and evaluation system will ensure that the program is able to maintain momentum and influence future decisions by administrations to use their own resources in the expansion of the digital interactive classroom, as it has been demonstrated by the schools that received the benefit of the classroom in the first global grant implemented.
Need $755,400
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DDF contributions in grey are pending approval of the corresponding district committee.
Note: as of July 1, 2015 there is a 5% additional support fee for cash contributions. This fee does not appear in the financials above because it does not apply if the funds are sent directly to the project account (without going through TRF, and therefore without Paul Harris credit). Clubs sending their cash contribution to TRF must be aware they will have to send an additional 5%.
