Multigrade Pedagogy and Practice: Accelerating Millennium Development Goals for Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa 50% of the population live in abject poverty with 33% suffering the lowest level of food security in the world (MDG-1). Some 80% live in rural and remote areas without access to education (MDG-2). Fourteen percent die by age 5 or less (MDG-4). HIV/AIDS pandemic is the highest in the world (MDG-6). These shortcomings are closely intertwined in a vicious-cycle which, in the long-run can only be broken by providing education to all (EFA) children. Research shows that children in developed countries have benefited from the engaging activities using e-learning technologies. Unfortunately, poor countries lack access to these technologies. Such a digital divide has far reaching implications in terms of equity in use and learning outcomes. It also manifests in teachers' lack of understanding of how these technologies can be used in multigrade classrooms to overcome the barriers to access and achieving MDGs. Our case study research in Zambia and Uganda has shown that multi grade pedagogy has the potential to provide the engine to circuit-break this cycle. We discuss the challenges in adapting e-learning technologies in these environments, and outline our intermediate strategy involving, student-centred "low threshold" technology solutions for multigrade education in Sub-Saharan countries to achieve EFA and accelerate MGDs.