Kampala’s Innovation Village calls for ideas to transform education

September 28, 2020 in Business, Technology & Telecoms by Editor

Niyonsaba, The Future Lab Lead at the Village consults with C.K. Japheth. She said the timing of the Challenge is perfect seeing as the government recently announced new guidelines for opening up schools

The Innovation Village in Kampala, has launched a business development programme dubbed ‘Future of Education’, a competitive challenge with the aim of supporting businesses which spearhead innovation in the education sector.

This new initiative is being done through the Village’s EdTech Lab in partnership with Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works and the Arizona State University Education for Humanity programme. Deadline for applications is on October 27, 2020. Apply via  https://futureofeducation.cda.ug/.

Samantha Niyonsaba, The Future Lab Lead at the Village said the timing is perfect seeing as the government recently announced new guidelines for opening up schools.

“At The Innovation Village, we reimagine and reinvent solutions to challenges with the ability to transform ideas and turn them into assets. We believe in co-creating with a broad community of innovators in solving sector problems. The Education sector is one of our core focus areas that needs transformation and support now more than ever after the Covid-19 disruption. The Future of Education is a programme meant to fill this gap by sourcing and providing support to sustainably scale innovative solutions and ideas we see coming up for the sector.” she said.

It involves a highly selective and intensive 8-week programme for Uganda’s most promising education entrepreneurs. They will receive expert guidance on how to navigate the education landscape and scale solutions via mentorship, peer learning, expert feedback and guidance from expert teams in the sector and implementing partners.

According to UNESCO, the Covid-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and all continents. Closures of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94 pc of the world’s student population, up to 99 pc in low and lower-middle income countries.

Niyonsaba said, “The Future of Education program is designed to refine, validate, sustain and scale ideas to increase access to quality education and add relevant skills for development. We have seen remarkable innovation in response to support learning and teaching amidst closure of educational institutions and halting of non-formal training during the pandemic. The next logical step would be to bring these ideas to life and offer the necessary support to scale the ideas to reach a wider audience.”

The programme is focusing on businesses offering skills needed for employability programmes, businesses providing measures to build back resilience and reach all learners and those seeking to support the teaching profession and teachers’ readiness for the Future of Education.

“Identifying and supporting innovation is what we thrive on at The Innovation Village. Our Future Lab through collaboration with partners creates innovative solutions to complex and difficult challenges by identifying industry problems and then scouting tangible and scalable solutions to solve them. Right now, we want solutions that seek to promote a future ready education sector.” Niyonsaba said.