UPPDATE: some recent news from OLE Nepal: http://blog.olenepal.org/
OLE (Open Learning Exchange) Nepal open up whole new worlds of learning for children in Nepal who have limited access to adequate educational material, or none at all. By providing remote schools with cheap, custom-designed laptops that store a wealth of engaging content, OLE Nepal provide the keys to unlock children's potential, desperate as they are for exposure to new ideas and technology. Not only that, but the laptops have been shown to actually redefine pupils', teachers' and communities' approaches to what education is. Rote learning fizzles out as pupils take more initiative in their classrooms, and truancy levels plummet because they are motivated to come in to school and use the OLE Nepal computers to discover troves of information. The PCs offer multilingual interactive exercises in Nepali, English, Maths and Science, as well as a host of other incredible features- access to 1000s of online books, Wikipedia, virtual instruments, lessons in coding, and the ability to chat with pupils from other schools. And it is all open source (which, if you're a Luddite who hasn't heard of the phrase, is something really cool!) For more information on the content provided, see here: http://www.olenepal.org/E-Paath/
Having taught in and observed a group of rural schools over the past 3 months, I arranged to meet the OLE team the other day at their office in Kathmandu to find out exactly what they're up to, and can personally attest that what they are doing is revolutionising Nepal's education sector. The Ministry of Education are fully backing their work, well aware as they are that the system needs shaking up, and that technological literacy will play a vital role for the future of Nepali children.
Rabi Karmacharya, the founder of OLE Nepal, is an MIT graduate with a background in software development, who left a lucrative career in the States to focus on developing technology to improve education in Nepal. He's one of those people you come across every now and then who make you feel like everything's going to be alright eventually, and is fully committed to his work at OLE, as is his team. Here's a fascinating webinar he was involved in recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3b256foMtU
After the harrowing earthquakes earlier this year, OLE Nepal are zoning in on the worst affected communities. Pupils there may have to sit under tarpaulins while their schools are rebuilt- we can help to provide them with the necessary materials to continue and greatly enhance their education, and, in turn, their lives.
Please dig deep for the children of Nepal. No child should have their education checked due to lack of information that is so widely and freely available.
A huge thank you to everyone at OLE Nepal for their hard work, and Jai Nepal!
