EdTech Mondays, a monthly radio show by Mastercard Foundation and Shega Media & Technology PLC that serves as a platform to facilitate critical conversations on using technology for teaching and learning in Ethiopia, has been extended for a year and is going national.
The announcement comes as the duo secures airtime on 11 radio stations around the country under the Fana Broadcasting Corporation, expanding the reach and impact of the show for ten more episodes in 2023.
Starting with the upcoming episode in February, Edtech Mondays will air on the last Monday of every month, in Georgian Calendar, from 8:10 p.m. to 8:50 p.m., bringing key stakeholders together, including policymakers, EdTech entrepreneurs, teachers, and parents. The show will also be hosting a mid-year event, which will serve as a physical touchpoint to further connect with its audience and assess its impact.
Mastercard Foundation and Shega began EdTech Mondays with the first installment on October 3, 2022, on Ethio FM. With three episodes being already aired, the radio show discussed topics such as how edtech can be used to increase access to education for learners with disabilities, as well as advancing girls’ education through digital learning.
Upcoming Edtech Monday episodes will be recorded at the Fana Broadcasting Corporation’s head office and aired in the capital via Fana FM 98.1. The regional Fana radio stations in Jimma, Gonder, Desse, Haremaya, Shashemene, Nekemte, Wolaita Sodo, Debre Birhan, Assela, and Mizan Aman will also air the content, broadcasting the message nationwide. Furthermore, each episode will be posted on Fana’s YouTube channel, which has 1.23 million subscribers.
The Mastercard Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the world, with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. The Foundation was created by Mastercard in 2006 as an independent organization with its own Board of Directors and management.
An integrated, Africa-wide conversation about EdTech Monday airs monthly on CNBC Africa and the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Facebook page. In alignment with the monthly Africa theme, Mastercard Foundation offices in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria, in partnership with local EdTech support organizations, disseminate the discussions with the local context, experts, nuances, and case studies.
It’s with this spirit that the Mastercard Foundation Ethiopia office collaborated with Shega Media & Technology, an Addis Ababa-based integrated media, content, data, and Intelligence company that focuses on the innovation and technology space in Ethiopia, to produce EdTech Mondays in Ethiopia with contextualized issues.
The latest episode to be aired on February 27, 2023, will focus on mainstreaming the hybrid model of learning.
The increased adoption of e-learning has been catalyzed by the proliferation of smartphones and other consumer electronics in Africa, along with the rising digitization in the education sector. Moreover, COVID-19 underscored the important role technology can play in enabling accessibility, inclusivity, and resilience in education.
Nevertheless, the adoption of hybrid learning is a complex process that presents many challenges, including inadequate infrastructure and human resources. The pandemic also highlighted the lack of adequate data in the education sector that prevented many African countries, including Ethiopia, from effectively implementing remote education to ensure minimal loss of learning.
The show will answer important questions such as what are some of the medium-to-long-term actions Ethiopia would need to adapt to more effectively use technology to build resilient education systems, digital skills, and leverage EdTech ecosystems to build capacity and implement adaptable policies.
