1. This project is about?
 This project shall improve participatory communication and e-govenance between educator stakeholders using SMS Media interface messaging system with two ways communication exchange. The system will allow sending SMS message to multiple grassroots educators’ recipients and to get information and knowledge feedback sent from educators’ mobile phones devises to a computer interface system managed by OLE Rwanda.  The received information will then be used for various purposes, to inform education decision making such as education local priorities, challenges, opportunities and trends at all levels, for applied research that advances the integration of ICTs in basic education (monitoring ICTs infrastructure and management is schools and conducting short basic education surveying), exchange and share information that feed the delivery of services to grassroots educators’ stakeholders and schools in Rwanda. Concerning e-governance, information received through the SMS messaging system will enhance a bottom up participatory approach.  Government has initiated One Lap Top per Child and other computer projects in schools this Mobile SMS media shall respond to numerous inquiries from educators and schools, students and other partners willing to buy or use them.   2. What is the expected impact of your Project?
 This project is meant for educators of basic education in Rwanda (this level has 9 first years of education). This sector is the most in needed of such support (primary, lower secondary and technical and vocational training)
Approximately 2500 Basic Educators shall be regularly updated with information for education and ICTs and be involved in decision making.
The system shall inform partners across country about challenges in achieving Universal basic education and support ICTs in basic education
The system shall provide cost effective way to do surveys and disseminate information for basic education and many more.  

3. Who are basic education stakeholders?  
 Educators’ stakeholders described in this project are of two categories: The first category is composed by teachers, headmasters, education administrators’ listed on the terminal computer SMS interface messaging database and organized into clusters (general, provincial, district, primary, lower secondary levels and so on). The SMS dissemination system process shall be done according to the identified target group. The second category is composed by basic education researchers, investigators and decisions makers from various organizations and the Ministry who will use the SMS interface messaging system to get information for various reasons.        4. What and Why using Mobile phone SMS media  
 More than 80% of headmasters and head teachers have connected Mobile phones devises. These devises don’t need much in terms of maintenance, users training, network and services coverage. Beside the SMS computer system (to be managed by OLE Rwanda) incurs the cost of sending and receiving SMS messages and many organizations working in basic education can use its services. SMS can engage directly and effectively recipients and partners (schools, educators, decision makers) and allows a great flexibility regarding the adaptation to the audience.        5. Where is this project going to be implemented?
 This project shall have a national coverage; it will however be managed by OLE Rwanda and based within the Ministry of Education (where our office is located)            6. How is this project going to work?  
 Technically a local SMS Media Company is going to develop a terminal computer SMS interface system connected to its SMS messaging system and serviced through the local mobile phone networks. This SMS interface system will use a mass SMS dissemination system with a terminal Internet connected computer that has the capacity to receive SMS sent from mobile phones and from all partners but can also send SMS to all educators’ partners in the database system. SMS Media Company has accepted to develop for free the interface for this project. It will charge however each SMS sent from this interface 31 Rwandan francs (0.038 $). Each sent SMS can reach easily an audience of at least 2 500 educators listed in the databases (divided into clusters) from all over the country and shall have a reverse billing system charging only the host organization (OLE Rwanda) not directly educators.
 
 

In addition: OLE Rwanda is part of OLE networks that support the achievement of Universal basic education by 2015. We are promoting the use of ICTs and low cost technologies and mobile phone are relatively cheap and can easly harness the use f other low technologies and accelerate the achievement of quality basic education in Rwanda (please see www.ole.org)     
 

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