About the Project
This project is one of the 2017 WISE Awards winners.
This project is one of the 2016 WISE Awards finalists.
Lights to Learn is a joint public-private sector effort in education, energy and ICTs. The project brings together five components:
- It provides electricity through the installation of photovoltaic solar systems.
- It offers Internet and IT equipment to the community’s schools.
- Teacher training.
- Community development.
- Sustainability via basic training provided to members of the community who use photovoltaic solar systems and connectivity
Context and Issue
Around 60,000 schools have been listed as deprived of electricity in Latin American countries where the project was implemented. They are located in rural communities historically left behind in technological advances.
Solution and Impact
Lights to Learn responds to the OEI’s commitment to the right to quality education in the region. Through this project, OEI seeks to promote access to quality education and contribute to the strengthening of Latin American democracies. Using electricity and ICTs in the classroom to provide better education and to extend the school day, the project also offers technical and vocational education to illiterate adults.
The starting point of Lights to Learn was providing a multi-stakeholder solution to tackle the problem of access to quality education and to appropriate infrastructure in rural areas. The project, supported by the ministers of education of each participating country, has been adapted to their needs taking into account their institutional, legal and social context. Main impacts of the project are the following:
1. The creation of an ‘Implementation Model’ systematized in phases and implemented in 556 schools in 11 Latin American countries. This model describes milestones and essential components that guarantee program success, minimizing and mitigating risks. It represents a contribution to international cooperation initiatives and also to Latin American government policies.
2. The premiere and broadcast of a short film called ‘Bienvenidos’ inspired by the project has won 78 awards at international film festivals. Moreover, the short film is a pedagogical tool to reach more children, teachers and society in general, to raise awareness and to make known education resources in rural areas of Latin American countries. OEI in collaboration with the Regional Government of Aragon (Spain) has developed two didactic guides, for primary and for secondary education level, with the objective of working with students on different topics such as education, children’s rights, new technologies and audiovisual literacy.
3. Lights to Learn is being implemented in other countries of other continents.
Future Developments
Future objectives are focused on extending the project in the 13 countries where it has been implemented and transferring the experience in the short run to more countries. In addition, it is envisaged that the Ibero-American countries may apply the didactic guide about the short film ‘Bienvenidos’ with their studies and develop new pedagogical guides.