Start Date
23-10-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
23-10-2025 12:45 PM
Presentation Type
Workshop
Primary Theme
Shared Perspectives
Secondary Theme
Technology
Description
Ikirwa School, a nonprofit English-medium primary school founded in 2012 in Midawe Village, Tanzania, has become a model for advancing educational equity in rural, under-resourced regions. Serving 200 students from nursery through class seven with over 40% receiving full sponsorship and more than half boarding. Ikirwa exemplifies how access and inclusion transform outcomes. Within its first five years, it ranked 89th out of over 7,000 schools nationally, reflecting the impact of community-driven education.
Ikirwa’s holistic, bilingual curriculum integrates core academics, Kiswahili instruction, digital literacy, and locally relevant learning. Through global collaborations, including virtual coding lessons from university volunteers and weekly Google Meet exchanges with U.S. classrooms students connect across continents, expanding their horizons while remaining rooted in community values.
This presentation draws on over a decade of engagement to highlight strategies such as grassroots fundraising, infrastructure development, and cross-cultural partnerships that sustain access and inclusion. Despite challenges like unreliable electricity, poor roads, and intermittent internet, Ikirwa continues to innovate through its digital library and remote learning initiatives.
Participants will gain practical insights into fostering equity through sponsorships, inclusive curriculum design, and international collaboration. Offering a Southern, community-led perspective on open access and educational innovation, this case study demonstrates how small schools in remote areas can leverage limited resources to deliver globally connected, transformative learning.
Recommended Citation
Hogan, Rose, "Advancing Educational Equity: Lessons from Ikirwa School in Rural Tanzania" (2025). Open Educational Resources Conference. 2.
https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/oer_conference/2025/23rd/2
Advancing Educational Equity: Lessons from Ikirwa School in Rural Tanzania
Ikirwa School, a nonprofit English-medium primary school founded in 2012 in Midawe Village, Tanzania, has become a model for advancing educational equity in rural, under-resourced regions. Serving 200 students from nursery through class seven with over 40% receiving full sponsorship and more than half boarding. Ikirwa exemplifies how access and inclusion transform outcomes. Within its first five years, it ranked 89th out of over 7,000 schools nationally, reflecting the impact of community-driven education.
Ikirwa’s holistic, bilingual curriculum integrates core academics, Kiswahili instruction, digital literacy, and locally relevant learning. Through global collaborations, including virtual coding lessons from university volunteers and weekly Google Meet exchanges with U.S. classrooms students connect across continents, expanding their horizons while remaining rooted in community values.
This presentation draws on over a decade of engagement to highlight strategies such as grassroots fundraising, infrastructure development, and cross-cultural partnerships that sustain access and inclusion. Despite challenges like unreliable electricity, poor roads, and intermittent internet, Ikirwa continues to innovate through its digital library and remote learning initiatives.
Participants will gain practical insights into fostering equity through sponsorships, inclusive curriculum design, and international collaboration. Offering a Southern, community-led perspective on open access and educational innovation, this case study demonstrates how small schools in remote areas can leverage limited resources to deliver globally connected, transformative learning.