The DRM Consortium, in cooperation with a secondary school in the Gambia, is preparing to conduct its first public demonstration of an innovative project to deliver education at a distance via radio. A group of 15-year-old students at St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School in the Gambian capital, Banjul, will receive on tablets, via Wi-Fi, audio and text lessons transmitted from the UK using DRM shortwave.
The test broadcast is scheduled on April 8 (0700-0900 GMT on 15390kHz – and again 1230-1430 on 21740kHz). The Gambian students will use their tablets for the distance learning on April 8th from 0800-0900 GMT.
The test will demonstrate the ability of DRM digital radio to deliver lessons in multiple languages. The lessons included are an English original followed by two AI-generated versions in French and German.
A central component of the broadcast, alongside the audio, is a digital textbook (Journaline), showcasing how the lesson content — including graphics — can be made available in several languages, both as a live accompaniment and for on-demand access. The on-demand use for the distance transmitted lessons will take place on April 8th at 1100 am at the St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School in the presence of other students, VIPs and the press.
The demonstration, the first of its kind in Africa and the world, aims to show how educational content can be delivered, without the need of IP or internet, to learners, using tablets connected to available DRM radios that open a Wi-Fi hotspot.
This demonstration will validate how education via digital radio transforms and uplifts communities. DRM digital radio can prove its power to deliver learning for all beyond hashtags and pledges with real action and impact.
If you are interested in providing distance education via DRM in your own country or region and to follow the latest developments of this DRM e-learning project, please check: news.drm.org, e-learning.drm.org