Parents in Uganda will soon be able to access their children’s educational report cards via text message to their phones
Other school updates such as attendance records, grades and performance measures will also be sent to the handsets of parents living in a small farming district of the country. The high-tech school reports delivery system has been developed by Nokia.
The telecommunications giant is running a pilot project in Luweero, located 60km away from Uganda’s capital Kampala. The scheme was developed with Plan International, a charity working with more than 39,000 children across the East African state.
The project aims to encourage parents in farming areas to use their mobiles to play a more active role in their children’s school lives.
Charles Kasasa, a Ugandan farmer and father, is one of the thousands of parents taking part in the pilot scheme.
Kasasa said, “As parents, we can become more vigilant about attending meetings at schools or following what our children are doing.
“By using this small platform on our mobiles, we will be in a better position to take part in these activities and make our contributions effectively,” he added.
Nokia hopes to use the popularity of its handsets to develop this mobile-driven solution that will have a positive effect on children’s education.
Nokia’s senior sustainability manager Elizabeth Tanguy said, “We believe in children’s rights and access to quality education for every child regardless of their gender, race and where they live.
“This project allows Ugandan children to discuss with their parents issues that affect their learning, while appealing to their avid interest in modern technology.”
Plan International’s programme manager in Uganda, Mattias Bryneson, remarked, “We want to increase community engagement in the education of children and improve school governance in collaboration with the parents.”
