Digital Summer School

Many Myanmar government schools lack ICT curriculum and equipment. Only students who can afford to attend private ICT training acquire digital skills in early school life, leaving majority of high school and university graduates unprepared for digital workforce. ATOM believed that building digital literacy skills must begin in the education system by incorporating digital skills in education policy, curriculum; raising digital skills of policymakers, teachers, and students; and empowering practical learning with functional ICT equipment in schools.

With the support of Ministry of Education, partner organisations; KMD, Ericsson, Irrawaddy Green Towers (IGT) and Myanmar ICT for Development Organization (MIDO), ATOM’s Digital Summer School Program was launched to deliver basic ICT training to school children during three-month long summer holiday. The program aimed to contribute to the country’s endeavor in gaining the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations; Goal #10 – Reducing inequalities within and among countries.

The program was based on the fruitful result of initial summer school classes piloted in Loikaw, Kayah State in May 2017 in which a total of 130 students from middle and high schools received training to improve their new digital skills such as using computers and smartphone effectively, and safe internet.

Specifically, the program aimed to:

• Create a space for about 25,000 students to be able to access digital training during the summer holiday as the initiative towards digital inclusion, serving as a foundation upon which the students can build up their higher digital skills
• Provide both virtually and physically well-equipped computer labs where students can enrol and receive digital trainings with qualified trainers at nearest KMD training center among 134 in total across the country
• Cover 11 hour of basic computer, basic Microsoft Word and Safe Internet training
• Contribute to the endeavor of ATOM in strengthening much-needed digital skills of Myanmar which is essential in constructing a competent and innovative digital workforce to be able to give digital services as well as citizens that can effectively consume these digital services

Duation : March 2018 - May 2018

Impact : 25,000 middle and high school students trained