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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 • Oct 27, 2021
We both love London and walking, and this year, in honor of The Steve Sinnott Foundation's 15th Anniversary we have decided to embark on this journey. We planned to complete the 10KM walk along the river Thames, passing by many iconic London attractions on the way. We wanted to raise funds, and awareness, to ensure that every child worldwide, can have the opportunity to go to school, as well as adults too. It was an amazing experience and we enjoyed each other's company on luckily a very sunny day! “Since working for the Foundation I have witnessed firsthand the impact it has in supporting young people develop essential life skills by working to ensure provision of quality education for all children worldwide. The ripple effect of this education is truly remarkable as students go on to empower and educate others.” - Nicolet “I’ve been friends with Nicolet since we were kids, and I appreciate her and support her in any way that I can! She does amazing work for the Steve Sinnott Foundation and I want to be able to support her in this as well. A sponsored walk would not only be something we can accomplish together, but the fact that our efforts could go some way to making a difference for children around the world made it very worthwhile.” - Becky
H'arts in Mind is an inclusive mental health Arts charity run by people with lived experience. They support people with mental health or physical challenges who have an interest in Art. The Steve Sinnott Foundation (SSF) is an international education charity also based in Hertfordshire. The foundation is working with teachers and educators to deliver projects that progress the achievement if Sustainable Development Goal 4 - ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life long learning opportunities. Kim Rasit CEO and founder of H'arts in Mind met up with Ann Beatty CEO SSF to see how two small local charities might support each other. They decided they would work together to develop a space in the art gallery for future artists or others to exhibit in the space. SSF would be the first exhibition to test out the space. The exhibition took place August 21st to 25th and we are really pleased to report it was a great success. SSF provided workshops on Storytelling, Jewellery Making and Vision Board and Well-being as well as exhibiting their work on Positive Periods and Preventing Gender Based Violence.
The Foundation has been working in partnership with UNESCO since 2015 and Ann Beatty our CEO is the UNESCO ASPnet Co-ordinator in the UK. There are 145 schools in the programme and Coventry City is currently supporting all schools in the city with the opportunity of accreditation. In January, Warwick University and Coventry City Council hosted an event at the House of Commons to celebrate UNESCO ASPnet schools’ contribution to the UK. Saarah Rahman who helped organise the event, is currently studying at the University of Warwick in her final year, reading politics and international studies. Saarah shares her thoughts on ASPnet and her personal journey in education. I believe that being a part of UNESCO ASPNET and the Hidden Heroes project will help to lift hundreds of schoolchildren out of educational deprivation. This is an issue that I have personally grown up with my entire life. Educational deprivation is a very personal topic for me, as someone who originates from Tower Hamlets and as a British Bangladeshi Muslim, I am already socially and economically hindered. I went to your average underperforming state school, where I was never able to take part in programmes which helped to improve my confidence and critical thinking skills, as well as deepen my awareness of the world around me. I was always stuck in a bubble at school, believing that students like me would never be able to leave Tower Hamlets; that my whole life would only start and end here, in this small pocket of London. From not having a laptop until I was seventeen and being on Free School Meals when I was younger, I have faced the brunt of deprivation in education. It was when I got into The University of Warwick that I realised the deprivation gap between me and my classmates was much greater than it seemed. My classmates had opportunities to take part in initiatives such as Model UN at school, Pupil Parliament, and so many other extracurriculars that they had at their disposal, because of the type of funding their school during sixth form and secondary had received. Meanwhile, I had to scout for my extracurricular opportunities during school, alongside the challenge that they had to be free. The disparity gap is prominent in who runs for execs or higher student positions, and the common denominator between these types of students is they had leadership positions and extracurriculars handed to them during their time in compulsory education. They were given the confidence at an early age to apply for these roles inside and outside of the University, which will ultimately lead to them being in a better position to take up opportunities. This is why I am a massive advocate for initiatives such as UNESCO ASPnet, because giving young people the confidence to explore social issues alongside critical thinking skills, will boost their confidence in academic and nonacademic settings. Working-class, underprivileged students are always in competition with students who have been given the resources to enrich their education throughout their lives, which shows in their confidence in applying for and receiving opportunities throughout their time inside and outside of higher education. Hopefully, with initiatives such as Hidden Heroes and UNESCO, we finally give underprivileged students the stepping stones they need to get out of their comfort zone and take up opportunities. To find out more about UNESCO ASPnet in the U.K. and how your school can join, visit https://www.stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk/unesco-aspnet
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