80 blended learning classrooms to be built in FDE schools

Islamabad : The Knowledge Platform, Pakistan’s leading education technology company, has won the federal government’s first public sector blended learning project for middle schools after a competitive bidding process.

Under the project, a pilot of 80 blended learning classrooms will be implemented in federal government schools in Islamabad.

Shafqat Mahmood, the minister of federal education and professional training, attended the project signing ceremony.

Recently, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and the FDE launched a solicitation for pilot blended learning projects in primary (1-5), middle (6-8), and secondary (9-10) grades. Knowledge Platform’s blended learning solution Learn Smart Classroom has been selected for the middle grades after a competitive bidding process. The innovative blended learning platform will provide robust holistic digital teaching, learning, and assessment opportunities for selected FDE schools in Pakistan.

As part of this project, Knowledge Platform will over a three-year provide (1) 80 classrooms with the required blended learning infrastructure, (2) an offline Learning Management System that works without the Internet in the classroom, (3) an Artificial Intelligence enabled cloud based Learning Management System synchronized with the offline platform, (4) digital content for grades 6-8 Mathematics, Science and English comprising of animated videos, games, activities and digital assessments, (5) teacher training for teachers in the selected schools and (6) in-school support and in-depth analytics and reports for school heads, teachers and teachers.

Jazz Smart Schools was the first large-scale implementation of blended learning in public schools in Pakistan. A collaboration between Jazz (Programme Sponsor), Knowledge Platform (Programme Manager), and the Federal Directorate of Education (Implementation Partner), Jazz Smart Schools was implemented in 75 public girl schools in Islamabad from January 2018 to January 2020. The initiative has served over 38,000 girl students and 1,000 teachers and principals.

In October 2020, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) evaluated the program and received feedback from 51 principals, 143 teachers, and 533 students. 95% of the surveyed school head principals, teachers and students found that the programme helped in improving student learning outcomes, improving quality of teaching, and transforming school culture using blended learning. In a separate study of 15 participating schools, aggregated board results improved by 10% relative to the average of the past three years.

Talhah Munir Khan, the CEO of Knowledge Platform, noted: “We are honored and delighted to be part of this excellent initiative taken by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training. COVID-19 has highlighted the significance of digital education in effective learning and teaching methods.

Knowledge Platform’s award-winning blended learning solution, Learn Smart Classroom, will be introduced in middle schools in Islamabad under this project. It will allow students and teachers to use animated videos, games/activities, and formative assessments within classrooms and also at their homes. After being used by 1,000 schools in Pakistan, we are very excited that this innovative solution will be used by students and teachers in these public schools”.