Shaping the Future Education through Mobile Phones– UNESCO and Nokia launch phone application to improve literacy skills

Nokia and UNESCO Pakistan have launched a basic literacy application named eTaleem for Nokia phones. eTaleem allows people to easily access lessons for Urdu reading, phonetics, word synthesis, sentence making, and basic math. eTaleem app has been developed by Lakson Business Solutions for Nokia as a component to the UNESCO Project “Mobile Literacy training for Literacy Training of Rural Female Adults”. The application can be downloaded on most affordable Nokia S40 devices.

According to the latest Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Survey 2010-11, the literacy rate across the country is 58 percent, with lower rates in rural areas for women. Using mobile phone as a learning tool via UNESCO project can accelerate the literacy level country wide.

The learning content to Nokia’s eTaleem app is based on UNESCO’s learning DVDs designed and tested in community learning centers all over Pakistan. By enabling access to the high quality educational material via affordable mobile phones, Nokia broadens the reach of the UNESCO trainings to rural areas, supporting continued learning after the community classes’ attendance comes to an end.

With the implementation of mobile learning component, the programme gained the Government Sectors’ support, with the Literacy Department of Punjab and the Education Department of Ministry of Capital Administration Development as new partners to the endeavor for higher literacy penetration in Pakistan.

Mobile learning can enrich and enhance learning opportunities for all. In remote areas or places where accessing education materials can be difficult, Nokia tools such as eTaleem or Nokia Education Delivery - which are both used within the UNESCO project – can bridge the digital divide. These mobile learning tools host a great potential to make a real difference in people’s lives, giving them easy access to quality education.