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The Malta Independent | Thursday 27 August 2015
Defining success for mobile education in emerging markets delivered. Last year, GSMA conducted a survey across countries with a total of 85 respondents working in mobile value added services (VAS) in emerging markets. Four key findings surfaced.
Melissa Jun Rowley
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or people in developing countries, mobile phone ownership can mean the difference between illiteracy and having an education, which can ultimately mean life or death. In sub-Saharan Africa 10 million kids drop out of school every year. However, educational resources available via mobile connectivity are helping people in the developing world overcome obstacles to learning, such as accessibility and cost. According to GSMA (an association that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide), SIM connections in the developing world exceeded 5 billion in 2012, and they’re now increasing at 17 per second. That’s equal to an opportunity for more than 5 billion people to benefit from mobile education, or mEducation. Pocket-size libraries, SMS career training programs, and mobile educational videos are proving that edtech can help students in the most remote, hard to reach areas across the globe. How do you measure mEduction success? Hannah Metcalfe, Community Insights Manager at the GSMA Mobile for Development, says it depends on the mEducator’s goals. “Defining success isn’t always straightforward, and the many players working in this field would define it differently,” says Metcalfe. “If we are talking about
the direct impact on the end user, then I would say Worldreader, the Jokko Initiative and Text2Teach are some of the most successful.” What’s texting got to do with it? A report by the Pew Research Centre relays that the most popular cell phone activity in emerging markets is texting. No surprises there. Text2Teach optimises this macro trend by delivering educational video materials to schools in the Philippines through combining satellite, television and mobile technology. Using mobile phones donated by Nokia and internet connectivity provided by Globe Telecom, teachers can download any of 400 audio and video materials in a constantly updated catalogue for students in grades 5 and 6. This works through connecting a mobile phone to a TV or video projector so the materials can be played in class. Within a decade, Text2Teach has reached 300,000 students.
According to UNESCO, 50% of schools in Africa have few to zero books. Worldreader brings digital books to children and their families through e-readers and the Worldreader Mobile app, which allows anyone anywhere to access the nonprofit’s library of 27,221 e-book titles. Since 2010 Worldreader has reached more than 4 million people in 57 countries. Established by UNICEF and Tostan, an NGO in West Africa that cultivates human rightsbased community empowerment programs, the Jokko Initiative teaches literacy and organisational skills through mobile phones, and makes it possible for a user to communicate with an entire network of people through simply sending one text message. In Senegal, the Jokko Initiative provides a low-cost system to reinforce group decision making in villages. The aforementioned products are just a few mEducation tools having an impact in developing countries. The GSMA’s Mobile
for Development division actively tracks over 1,800 products and services. While this number is increasing, the scale is not. How can mobile for development products (M4D) scale? “We need less reinventing of the wheel and more alignment in the types of services we are offering in Africa and across the emerging world,” says Metcalfe. “We have identified over 150 innovation spaces in the emerging world that are working towards creating an infrastructure that can support technology, entrepreneurship and innovation in emerging markets. However, in order for innovation spaces to serve entrepreneurs, they too need support, and so attention is needed to determine how innovation spaces can be sustainable.” That’s not all. Mobile network operators play a crucial role in mEducation and mobile for development overall, as they are the providers of the networks through which M4D products are
Operators primarily see VAS as a revenue opportunity Operators think financial inclusion represents the biggest commercial opportunity in mobile for development, but also see potential in other sectors, such as education, health, and entrepreneurship and jobs. Operators can’t work alone. Successful partnerships with third party providers are crucial. Finding appropriate business models is key. It is clear that delivering commercially successful VAS is difficult. Operators largely rejected the idea that there is insufficient consumer demand, and the majority said that the lack of right business models is the biggest barrier for M4D. The proliferation of mobile phones and the findings above prove that there’s never been a more opportune time for major mobile players to create business models designed for long-term social impact and business expansion. And someday the two will be inseparable. Used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com. Melissa Jun Rowley is a journalist and entrepreneur focused on the intersection of storytelling, technology and social justice. She’s the CEO of The Toolbox, a humanitarian and technology platform, founded by the iconic musician and activist Peter Gabriel. Melissa often writes about gender issues, race, youth advocacy, and how emerging technology can be harnessed to instigate positive social change. A diehard believer in the power and brilliance of young people, Melissa mentors and writes about teen activists using STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art & math) to transform communities.
Digital Malta – Consultation Workshops Godfrey Vella
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onsultation is vital for the attainment of the Digital Malta vision that Malta will prosper as a digitally-enabled nation in all sectors of society. Throughout the life-time of the national strategy various consultations workshops are organised usually on a yearly basis. The open discussion that will be triggered during the workshops is aimed to gather feedback on the initiatives being implemented and on those planned for 2016. Representatives from the busi-
ness community, government organisations and civil society are invited to have their say and contribute towards the implementation of the strategy. The first workshop will focus on areas related to how digital technologies can be utilised to transform various industries and how Government can deliver a better service through ICT. We encourage business and government stakeholders to provide their ideas and feedback. The general public and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are also welcome to contribute towards the initiatives being delivered
through the strategy. For this reason the discussion in the second workshop will concentrate on how digital technologies are and can be used in everyday life particularly in the areas of health, education, commerce and electronic government. The workshops will be organised on the 9th and 10th September. For a more detailed agenda of the two workshops and for registration, interested parties are invited to visit the Digital Malta Website at www.digitalmalta.gov.mt/register Godfrey Vella is Chairperson of Digital Malta Governing Board
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The Malta Independent | Thursday 27 August 2015
Roderick Spiteri
Roderick Spiteri is Marketing and Communications Manager at MITA and editor of Malta Independent ICT feature
The Malta Independent ICT Feature
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earing what stakeholders want is key for any national project. Yearly consultation workshops are organised to get feedback on the initiatives being rolled out as part of the Digital Malta national ICT strategy. This year the workshops will take place in the second week of September there is one for Government and businesses and another one for NGOs and the general pub-
lic. Recent statistics show that the number of Maltese going abroad is increased every year with the vast majority opting for trips in other EU countries. Before travelling make sure you apply for a European Health Insurance Card with which you can make use of state-provided healthcare at a reduced cost, or for free. You can apply for the card online and you can also download a related app on your phone
with all the information you may need. We tend to primarily consider our mobile phones as a means of communication. In Africa, a mobile phone can be someone’s opportunity of getting an education. In today’s feature we look at some of the success stories in mobile education. All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature
Order your European Health Insurance Card online
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f you are planning to travel in Europe, make sure you have a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). A EHIC will enable you to access state-provided healthcare, in case you require immediate necessary care, in all the European Economic Area (EEA) countries, including Switzerland, either at a reduced cost or for free according to the Public Health Care service of that particular country. Michelle Galea, Director at the Health Care Funding within the Ministry for Energy and Health, stated that currently there are approximately 215,000 EHICs in circulation issued by the Entitlement Unit in Malta. Currently only around 7% of the applications are received online. The Department is currently working to increase the number of online applications and aims to have 25% of all applications ordered on line by 2018. The EHICs of every Member State have a standard format; they are recognised and understood by all countries. The purpose of the EHIC is to facilitate access immediate necessary medical care during the holder’s temporary stay in another member state, and to speed up reimbursement of the costs incurred. It does not contain any medical information about the holder (e.g. blood group, medical history, etc.). The
A free phone “App” on Android and iPhone is available. It provides guidance on how to use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in the 27 EU Countries (and Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). It includes general information about the
EHIC also covers treatment of pre-existing medical conditions and routine maternity care, providing the reason for the visit is not specifically to give birth. The EHIC is not a substitute to private travel health care insurance however the two complement each
other. The EHIC is free of charge. The online application of the European Health Insurance Card can be accessed from www.ehic.gov.mt. Customers can make use of the service from the comfort of their own home at their convenience. The online applications received are managed on a daily basis and the European Health Insurance Card will be posted to the customer on the same date – provided that the customer provides all the information required. This service is provided to all customers over 16 years. In case of lost/stolen EHIC and foreigners applying for a EHIC the public are advised to contact the Entitlement Unit on telephone number 2595 2400 or via email on entitlement.doh@gov.mt for further details. The use of e-id eliminates unnecessary steps in the process of issuing the card and aims to reduce bureaucracy and provide a user friendly service. “App” for Android and iPhone
card, emergency phone numbers, covered treatments and costs, how to claim reimbursement, and who to contact in case you lose your card. For more information visit www.ehic.gov.mt