Since 2023, in partnership with the Senegalese ministry of Education, LWB has been deploying Digital Learning Hubs in the rural region of Kedougou to reduce inequalities surrounding access to education. This innovative device, based on our Ideas Cube digital libraries, creates digital learning spaces that provide offline access to educational content which is aligned with national curricula.  

The device, which brings together equipment, training, and educational support, allows for the reinforcement of teachers’ digital skills in under resourced zones to improve their students’ academic performance. 

An independent scientific evaluation                                                               In order to measure the impact of this ambitious project, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed on 140 schools and more than 6,000 students. Considered the highest-standing methodology in terms of impact evaluation, it compares the results of schools who benefit from the program to those of a control group. For LWB, this approach marks an important step: scientifically demonstrating the efficiency of our solutions in responding to needs on the ground.

Significant results 

The study showed a strong appropriation of the tool by the teachers, 80 – 90% of whom use the tool every week. It also showed a significant improvement in their digital skills.  

 For students, measurable progress was observed in French and in Math. In schools which are connected to the electrical grid, the gains reached the equivalent of a year and half of extra schooling. These results place the program amongst the educational interventions with the best performance observed worldwide. 

A solution which is ready to scale
Beyond these results, the DHL program shows that it is possible to transform learning thanks to technology which is frugal, offline, and open source, adapted to the most constrained contexts.  

 Energized by these results, LWB and its partners are now working on the extension of the program into the zones which are the furthest from educational services. The Senegalese ministry of education is considering the gradual deployment of 1,000 Digital Learning Hubs by 2030. 

Financial partner : Fonds d’Innovation pour le Développement 
Operational partner : ministère de l’Éducation du Sénégal