Working in Partnership with Brunel University to bridge the digital divide

The COVID-19 pandemic put the world on an unexpected pause. In the UK we had to swiftly adjust to sudden lockdown enforcements, resulting in us shifting to a digital working environment. The education system has been completely disrupted by the pandemic and as students, we have had to move away from the classroom and solely rely on e-learning. For students all around the world skills such as adaptability, independence and resilience have been critical to the academic progress under these new circumstances.

The biggest hurdle has been accessing a stable internet connection, while another barrier has been differing time zones between students and lecturers. In addition to this, lecturers and students who contracted COVID-19 have, in many instances, led to absence from lectures and postponing deadlines. Yet, the barriers we face here in the UK have been exacerbated in places with lack of access to e-learning. This is particularly true for countless students in Global South countries. As Global Challenge Students here at Brunel, our own student experiences during the pandemic have inspired us to work towards improving the quality of education in regions where it is subpar.

Education is a fundamental human right and has become one of the greatest global challenges we face today. Around 263 million children are left without access to education, and according to a recent UNICEF report, the emergence of the coronavirus caused that number to leap to 463 million. This figure accounts for approximately a third of the world’s school children who do not have access to remote learning and highlights the prevailing digital divide that enforces the barrier to quality education worldwide. At a time where access to education is most crucial, many young people are excluded from their right to an education, and this is unacceptable.


In conjunction with the Steve Sinnott Foundation and the Gambia’s Teacher’s Union, we have devised a sustainable solution to improve the quality of education in the Gambia’s Lower River Region. Our aim is to enhance the classroom teaching experience by digitalising the classroom and introducing technology. After extensive research, we have advised the implementation of TV screens and laptops that function off a solar powered circuit, with learning materials being downloaded onto a USB stick to be transferred to in-classroom teaching. These screens will serve as visual aids, by allowing for educational videos to be displayed. We believe that this project will not only enhance the children’s learning experiences, but also build the foundation for a potential online learning environment which can then be replicated across the region.


Fundamentally we are working towards SDG 4, which aims to ensure a quality education that is both equitable and inclusive and to ultimately promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The coronavirus pandemic and its uncertainty has shown us that digitalising education is essential in upholding a quality education. For that reason, it is crucial to bridge the gap of the existing digital divide to ensure that present and future generations can thrive successfully.


From Engage issue 22. 


You can find out more about this project here with our previous update in December 2020.



CAMILLE LOVGREEN, JASHIKA NIRMALAN, CRAIG NELSON AND JIVAN SIDHU • October 27, 2021

An Education Revolution

By Ann Beatty • April 6, 2025
This week while out and about in Hertfordshire and we visited the British Schools Museum. We discovered the first school opened by Joseph Lancaster, was known as the ‘Poor Childs Friend”, was in 1810. It was his lifelong mission that all children regardless of their circumstances, should benefit from an education. Apparently, Joseph heard a small girl say, “Oh that I could read!” and this inspired him to create a simple education system that eventually would benefit children across the world. Joseph was the tenth son of a poor man himself from South London. His aim was to offer free education for everyone. However, it would be 93 years before the U.K. government finally made education free for all. There are still many countries today where education is still not free to access and it is certainly not compulsory for primary and secondary age pupils. Joseph’s mission really resonates with that of the Foundation, to support access to education for all. We enjoyed our visit and appreciated the tour given by two of the Museum’s volunteers, Angela and Clare. They described some of the challenges faced in the early years of formal education and shared some of the rules that teachers and students had to abide by with us. 

Sparks Bristol

By Ann Beatty • April 4, 2025
Sparks Bristol is a collaborative community project initially envisioned by The Global Goals Centre, (GGC) more of which below. A few years ago, GGC took over an empty Marks and Spencer store and that’s how Sparks was born. Sparks is a department store with a difference, co-created by Global Goals Centre and Artspace Lifespace. On the ground floor is a huge range of shops, installations, events and more. Upstairs is a hub for local artists, it offers affordable studios as well as rehearsal and performance space. The Global Goals Centre is a Bristol-based educational charity inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. (SDGs). GGC believe the SDG’s or Global Goals as they are sometimes known, can be reached, with imaginative solutions and widespread education and engagement. They work with partners to promote creative solutions and deliver ground breaking projects that work towards these ambitious goals. The Steve Sinnott Foundation supported the Global Goals Centre with seed funding when it first started over 5 years ago. This month we went to visit them to see how they are getting on and we were taken aback by the volume of work they have achieved since they started. It is amazing to see how though working together with other local community groups it has grown into the vibrant centre it is today. All of the creative projects they host are linked to the SDGs. They cover topics that tackle poverty, education, climate change, fashion recycling and upcycling, to name a few.

Spring is Here! Looking Ahead!

By Ann Beatty • March 28, 2025
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.