Film Annex started its Afghan Development Project with the aim of enhancing education infrastructure in Afghanistan. Film Annex has the goal to build 40 internet-enabled classrooms and 400 computers to connect over 160,000 children. This is among the various other initiatives that Film Annex has taken in Afghanistan. In a country where only 40% of children have access to schools, these internet schools can go a long way towards improving the state of educational infrastructure in Afghanistan. Taking internet to their classrooms helps expose the students to the world outside and to the enormous information that is available online these days.
Film Annex also wishes to actively participate in curriculum development as well as development of software for education. Through a special software, Afghani children can take their exams online. Through its collaboration with Citadel Software Company, they have established Afghan Web TV that airs stories and clips from Afghanistan.
After building the first internet classroom at the Baghnazargah high school near Herat, Afghanistan, Film Annex and Citadel recently completed building the second Internet classroom at the Houz-e-Karbas School on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012.
An interesting feature that their schools will offer will be the Examer Software. This software, maintained by Citadel, allows the student to have a unique user name and password that enables them to take their exams online. Another great scheme is that through the mobile payment system that they get via their collaboration with USAID, they plan to give micropayments or microscholarship amounts directly to the parents of students that are top perfomers. This helps in motivating students to study well as there is a monetary incentive involved here. And, this in turn helps motivate other non-school-going students to join school. The parents can utilize this money to buy home PCs for their children that can enhance their learning further.
See the video above where Francesco Rulli, Film Annex Founder and President, gives recent updates about the Afghan Development Initiative.
For more such blogposts on Afghanistan and some truly amazing videos, see my webtv.
