UK Charity Onebillion to Pilot Digital Learning Programme in Five Gambian Schools

The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has welcomed a new technology-driven learning initiative by UK-based educational charity Onebillion, which is set to provide 250 tablets and headsets to five schools in The Gambia to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy.

The initiative will be piloted in selected schools across Regions Two East, Three and Four, offering pupils access to thousands of interactive learning activities designed to improve their reading and numeracy skills.

Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Dr Habibatou Drammeh, described the intervention as timely, saying it would complement the government’s ongoing efforts to improve foundational learning outcomes among Gambian children.

She made the remarks during a courtesy visit by a Onebillion delegation led by its Chief Executive Officer, Andrew, accompanied by officials from the ministry, including Director of Science and Technology Education, Fatou Cham.

Minister Drammeh said the government had continued to invest in education through nationwide free education and school feeding programmes, while placing renewed emphasis on improving children’s basic reading and numeracy skills.

She noted that foundational literacy and numeracy remain areas requiring urgent attention and expressed confidence that integrating digital tools into classrooms could enhance teaching and learning experiences.

“The support has come at the right time,” the minister said, emphasising the importance of equipping children with essential skills at the early stages of their education.

She added that the programme would provide an opportunity to complement existing government interventions through engaging and learner-centred approaches to learning.

During the meeting, the Onebillion delegation outlined its experience of supporting children’s education through tablet-based learning software over the past two decades.

Under the Gambian pilot programme, 250 tablets and accompanying headsets will be distributed among five selected schools. Pupils will use the devices to access interactive literacy and numeracy exercises tailored to their individual learning levels.

The pilot is expected to generate evidence on the effectiveness of technology-assisted learning and inform possible expansion to other schools across the country.

Both the ministry and Onebillion expressed optimism that the intervention would contribute to improving foundational learning outcomes and strengthen the use of digital technology in education.

The initiative forms part of broader efforts to ensure that Gambian children acquire essential literacy and numeracy skills needed to progress through school and participate in an increasingly digital world.