Education/News/October 2024/Edu Wiki in South Sudan: Creating a better future in education
Empowering Digital Literacy through Wikimedia in South Sudan
In April 2024, Open Knowledge South Sudan initiated a transformative digital literacy program at Eloi Secondary School in Juba. The program aimed to address the digital divide in South Sudan by providing students and teachers with essential ICT skills and familiarizing them with Wikimedia projects.
This initiative was part of a broader effort to enhance digital literacy in educational institutions across the country, focusing on equipping participants with the ability to access, edit, and contribute to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata. The program catered to 50 students and 10 teachers, with workshops emphasizing both practical ICT skills and the importance of open knowledge sharing.
Key Achievements
- Empowering Participants: The students and teachers learned to navigate and contribute to Wikimedia platforms, with some participants already making edits related to South Sudanese history and culture.
- ICT Skills Development: In addition to Wikimedia projects, the program covered essential ICT skills, such as internet browsing, word processing, and research techniques, critical for both personal and academic growth.
- Use of Kiwix: With limited internet access in South Sudan, the introduction of Kiwix, an offline content reader, proved highly beneficial. This tool enables users to access Wikipedia and other educational resources without constant internet connectivity.
Challenges
While the program was successful in many ways, several challenges remain:
- Limited Computers: With only 11 laptops available, the participants had to share devices, which slowed down the learning process.
- Power Supply: The unreliable electricity at the school also disrupted the continuity of training sessions, requiring creative solutions like solar power to maintain progress.
Future Directions
Open Knowledge South Sudan plans to expand the program to other schools in the country and address the existing infrastructure issues by seeking partnerships to provide more computers and sustainable energy solutions. The goal is to create a scalable model that can reach more educators and students, empowering them to be contributors to the global open knowledge movement.
Conclusion
This initiative marks an important step in promoting digital literacy and the Wikimedia mission of free knowledge access in South Sudan. By bridging the digital divide, we are not only equipping students and teachers with essential skills but also ensuring that their voices contribute to the global knowledge community.