EduWiki 2022 in South Sudan

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EduWiki Program in South Sudan: Empowering Teachers and Students through Wikimedia

EduWiki Program South Sudan

EduWiki Program Overview
Eduwiki South Sudan 22.jpg Students and teachers participating in the EduWiki program
Date	12-13 October 2022
Location	Juba Central Secondary School, Juba
Collaborating Org	Koneta Hub Juba
Participants	30 students, 5 teachers
Program focus	Digital literacy, Wikimedia editing, OER

A group of students and teachers during the program at Koneta Hub Juba

Introduction:

Education in South Sudan has been marred by numerous challenges, including insufficient resources, limited access to quality learning materials, and inadequate digital literacy among both teachers and students. As the world continues to evolve towards digital platforms, the ability to access, utilize, and contribute to open knowledge resources like Wikimedia is critical to bridging these educational gaps.

In this context, the Wikimedia community in South Sudan, in collaboration with Koneta Hub Juba, launched the EduWiki Program in October 2022. This initiative focused on empowering educators and students by training them on how to access and contribute to Wikimedia projects, with the aim of enhancing both teaching and learning experiences through open educational resources (OERs). The program targeted teachers and students from Juba Central Secondary School, providing them with the necessary skills to leverage Wikimedia’s vast repository of knowledge.

This report offers a comprehensive overview of the EduWiki program, its objectives, activities, outcomes, challenges encountered, and plans for future expansions. Furthermore, it explores the broader context of South Sudan's educational challenges, highlighting how open knowledge platforms like EduWiki can address key issues, while also acknowledging the opportunities presented by increased digital literacy.

Program Objectives

• Introduce teachers and students to Wikimedia as a valuable resource for education.
• Train participants on how to navigate, edit, and contribute to Wikimedia projects effectively.
• Foster a sense of community, contribution, and collaboration among participants.
• Recruit new members into the Wikimedia community in South Sudan.
• Address the challenges of equipment availability and retention of new contributors.

The Education Context in South Sudan

South Sudan faces considerable challenges in its education system, with high rates of school dropout, a lack of qualified teachers, and limited access to learning materials. Many schools operate in environments where books, computers, and reliable internet connections are scarce. As a result, digital literacy among both teachers and students is low, further complicating the ability to integrate modern educational tools into traditional classrooms.

In this context, programs like EduWiki have the potential to introduce transformative change. Wikimedia’s open and accessible resources can provide an alternative to the limited textbooks available in South Sudan. However, the introduction of such platforms is contingent upon improving digital literacy, access to the internet, and availability of devices. While these factors represent challenges, they also present opportunities for growth, as the expansion of digital literacy can empower teachers and students to engage with global knowledge networks, bridging the education gap.

Program Overview

Date: 12-13th October 2022 Location: Juba Central Secondary School, Juba, South Sudan Collaborating Organization: Koneta Hub Juba

The two-day EduWiki program was structured around two key components: training sessions for teachers and engaging workshops for students. Through these activities, the participants were introduced to the fundamentals of Wikimedia, learning how to navigate its interface, edit articles, and contribute to Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikidata.

1. Training Sessions for Teachers

• Focused on Wikimedia basics, including navigation, editing, and contributing to articles.
• Introduced Wikimedia projects and their relevance to open education.
• Shared best practices for integrating Wikimedia resources into classroom teaching to enrich the curriculum and expand the scope of available learning materials.

Teachers were particularly encouraged to explore how Wikimedia could supplement their teaching materials, offering students a broader and more dynamic range of information than traditional textbooks.

2. Student Workshops

• Hands-on workshops for 30 students, introducing them to Wikimedia and guiding them through the process of editing and contributing to articles.
• Highlighted the benefits of accessing open knowledge platforms for self-learning, especially in resource-constrained environments like South Sudan.
• Engaged students in practical sessions to develop their editing skills and encourage contributions to Wikimedia projects.

The workshops provided students with the foundational knowledge to become active contributors, giving them the tools to improve content on Wikimedia related to their local communities and culture.

3. Membership Drive

• Encouraged both teachers and students to join the Wikimedia community in South Sudan.
• Emphasized the importance of sustained involvement in Wikimedia activities to continuously develop digital literacy and contribute to global knowledge.

4. Challenges

a. Lack of Sufficient Equipment: One of the major challenges faced during the program was the limited availability of computers. The scarcity of devices hindered participants’ ability to fully engage in the training sessions and workshops, making it difficult to retain their interest in contributing to Wikimedia after the program ended.

b. Retention Issues: Due to the equipment constraints, many participants struggled to continue contributing to Wikimedia projects once the program concluded. Sustaining engagement without proper infrastructure remains a critical challenge for future programs.

Program Outcomes

1. Empowered Teachers and Students:

• Teachers gained practical skills on how to integrate Wikimedia into their lessons, thereby enhancing their educational resources.
• Students learned how to navigate Wikimedia and contribute to articles, empowering them with both knowledge and the ability to share it with a global audience.

2. New Wikimedia Community Members:

• Successfully recruited 30 students and 5 teachers as active contributors to the Wikimedia community in South Sudan.
• These participants represent the potential for future Wikimedia activities and outreach in the country.

Future Plans

1. Collaboration with Educational Institutions:

• The program aims to establish partnerships with schools, NGOs, and other institutions to provide computers and necessary equipment for participants.
• Collaborating with organizations that can supply devices will create a more sustainable learning environment and help retain participants as active Wikimedia contributors.

2. Expansion to More Schools:

• Future efforts will focus on reaching out to more schools, particularly those with better access to computer facilities, to broaden the program's impact.
• EduWiki programs will prioritize creating dedicated spaces within schools where students and teachers can actively engage with Wikimedia projects.

3. Digital Literacy Campaigns:

• The program plans to introduce campaigns aimed at improving digital literacy across South Sudan. This will include training students and teachers on how to effectively use the internet and online educational resources, making them more capable of engaging with global knowledge platforms like Wikimedia.

Conclusion

The EduWiki program in South Sudan, conducted in partnership with Koneta Hub Juba, successfully empowered teachers and students by introducing them to the vast resources of Wikimedia. Despite challenges such as limited equipment and difficulties in retaining participants, the program made significant strides in digital literacy and community-building within the Wikimedia space. The initiative highlights the transformative potential of open knowledge platforms like Wikimedia in addressing educational challenges in South Sudan.

Future efforts will focus on expanding access to digital tools, fostering partnerships with educational institutions, and enhancing the capacity of students and teachers to contribute to open knowledge. As these efforts evolve, programs like EduWiki will continue to play a critical role in bridging the educational gap and empowering communities across South Sudan.

A group Photo of students and teachers during the program at Koneta Hub Juba

A group of students and teachers during the program at Koneta Hub Juba