Shaping the Future Education through Mobile Phones- UNESCO
and Nokia launch phone application to improve literacy
skills
Nokia and UNESCO Pakistan have launched a basic literacy
application named eTaleem for Nokia phones. eTaleem allows
people to easily access lessons for Urdu reading,
phonetics, word synthesis, sentence making, and basic math.
eTaleem app has been developed by Lakson Business Solutions
for Nokia as a component to the UNESCO Project "Mobile
Literacy training for Literacy Training of Rural Female
Adults". The application can be downloaded on most
affordable Nokia S40 devices.
According to the latest Pakistan Social and Living
Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2010-11, the literacy
rate across the country is 58 percent, with lower rates in
rural areas for women. Using mobile phone as a learning
tool via UNESCO project can accelerate the literacy level
country wide.
The learning content to Nokia's eTaleem app is based on
UNESCO's learning DVDs designed and tested in community
learning centers all over Pakistan. By enabling access to
the high quality educational material via affordable mobile
phones, Nokia broadens the reach of the UNESCO trainings to
rural areas, supporting continued learning after the
community classes' attendance comes to an end.
With the implementation of mobile learning component, the
programme gained the Government Sectors' support, with the
Literacy Department of Punjab and the Education Department
of Ministry of Capital Administration Development as new
partners to the endeavor for higher literacy penetration in
Pakistan.
Mobile learning can enrich and enhance learning
opportunities for all. In remote areas or places where
accessing education materials can be difficult, Nokia tools
such as eTaleem or Nokia Education Delivery - which are
both used within the UNESCO project - can bridge the
digital divide. These mobile learning tools host a great
potential to make a real difference in people's lives,
giving them easy access to quality education.