Pakistani-led non-profit advances to MIT's Solve Challenge final

Published December 10, 2019
The Teach the World Foundation, led by Shafiq Khan and Imran Sayeed, is working in multiple countries around the world to introduce effective models for literacy and learning using digital technologies. — Photo Courtesy Techjuice
The Teach the World Foundation, led by Shafiq Khan and Imran Sayeed, is working in multiple countries around the world to introduce effective models for literacy and learning using digital technologies. — Photo Courtesy Techjuice

Teach the World Foundation (TTWF), a non-profit led by US-based Pakistanis, has been selected for the finals of the University of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Solve Challenge. Their project, "Enhancing Literacy and Numeracy", aims to improve education outcomes in developing countries.

According to an article published by Techjuice on Monday, the TTWF, led by Shafiq Khan and Imran Sayeed, is working in multiple countries around the world — including Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Malawi — to introduce effective models for literacy and learning using digital technologies.

The TTFW's solutions for tackling illiteracy are deliberately simple and inexpensive so that they can be implemented anywhere in the world; they use interactive games on tablets to facilitate learning for primary school children.

TTFW is one of the 15 finalists chosen to present in Dhaka on Dec10-11. The winners of MIT's Solve Challenge will take away $1.5 billion in funding in order to expand their programme in Bangladesh and other countries, the article added.

In Bangladesh, the TTFW has launched a digital learning programme at a Rohingya refugee camp which are home to more than 500,000 children. They are also working with children in Bangladesh's slums and displaced children in the country by providing them job training and micro-loans and introducing a digital curriculum.

In Pakistan, the TTFW has partnered with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) on a pilot project which aims to teach 340 children the English language using an entirely digital curriculum. In addition, they also partnered with SOS Children's Villages in Sept 2018 to launch a digital learning programme at a school.

According to their website, their mission is to enhance human potential by increasing literacy throughout the world.

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