New apps are fun way to catch up on education

Two pioneering mobile phone apps, which help children affected by the Syria Crisis catch up on their education, have been launched at a school in Lebanon backed by the Minister for Education.
 
The games, released across the region in March – called ‘Feed the Monster’ and ‘Antura and the Letters’ – help students aged five to ten years old improve Arab literacy using a fun and interactive approach. The apps are available to download for free and can be used offline on phones and tablets.
 
With more than a third of refugee children in Lebanon missing out on education, and a total of 2.3 million across the region out of school because of the war in Syria, experts believe that digital solutions can help children make up lost ground.
 
The two apps were chosen following an international competition called ‘EduApp4Syria’, with funding from international governments including Norway and aid agencies including World Vision.  
 
Mark Chapple, an education expert from World Vision, co-leads the No Lost Generation Initiative – a coalition of aid agencies, donors and policy-makers supporting children affected by the Syria Conflict with education and child protection.
 
Mr Chapple said: “Mobile phone apps and digital curriculums are useful tools in the efforts to help children affected by the Syria Crisis get back on track with their schooling.
 
“We can’t always physically rebuild classrooms while the war continues, but through technology we can help children learn at home, learn with their parents and learn in a fun way, which can help to bridge the educational gap.
 
“Children want to be in school and, as I’ve seen in Lebanon myself, parents desperately want their children to learn too. I met families who were making incredible financial sacrifices, like skipping meals, just so their kids could get educated.
 
“The will is there – but we need to keep working to find a way to get all children into education. Children’s life chances depend on it.”
 
The EduApp4Syria-games became publicly available for free on March 20th. Since then, the games have been downloaded more than 20 000 times.
 
More information about EduApp4Syria is available on Norad’s project website at https://www.norad.no/eduapp4syria