Digital innovation improving learning outcomes for children in Melong through the e-container.
“In Melong, children light up when it’s time for the e-container,” a teacher tells UNICEF. This digital hub is reshaping learning and opening doors to brighter futures through ICT access.
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“In the e-container, I learned easily how to read and write and how to spell. Thanks to the iPad, I can understand lessons through videos, and it has helped me to know how to use ICT materials, which many children don’t have the opportunity to use,” says Eyong Blessing, a 10-year-old Class 5 pupil and an internally displaced child whose family fled from the North West Region.
Launched on 12 April 2021 at the public school in Melen by the Ministry of Basic Education and UNICEF, in the presence of development and private sector partners, the "Connect My School" initiative aims to bridge the digital divide by connecting schools to the internet and providing access to both online and offline teaching and learning via tablets, including for out-of-school adolescents. At the heart of the initiative is the e-container or digital hub – an innovative classroom infrastructure built with recycled materials and powered by solar energy. The hub allows children and teachers to access multimedia equipment and electronic learning tools, creating a more inclusive and modern educational environment.
Blessing is one of more than 2,900 pupils in Melong who are benefiting directly from the digital hub, which serves learners from 10 schools studying in both French and English. The programme equips young people with 21st-century skills while narrowing the technology gap in remote areas where digital tools were once beyond reach. Nsaiban Doreen, Blessing’s teacher at Inclusive Government Bilingual Primary School Group 2, Melong Centre, is one of the hub’s leading tutors.
“My experience with the e-container has helped me and my colleagues improve in our passion for learning and teaching ICT after benefiting from a six-month training. As teachers, we must learn more to be able to teach the children. You can see the enthusiasm from the pupils, who are always eager to go to the hub and learn using the ICT materials provided"
Teachers in Melong have become digital champions, integrating tools like PowerPoint into their lessons and using videos and pictures to make learning more engaging. Miss Doreen noted that her pupils' academic performance has improved thanks to the dynamic and participatory lessons at the hub.
One year after its launch, the e-container has quietly transformed both education and perception in Melong. In classrooms once dominated by chalk and talk, children now explore learning through interactive lessons and technology, their curiosity ignited by a world just a click away. Teachers once unsure about digital tools now confidently use them, building lesson plans with PowerPoint and experimenting with AI, thanks to the training they received. Parents, who were initially sceptical, now visit the hub to witness its impact firsthand. Some have even purchased smartphones and ICT materials to support their children’s learning at home.
Mr. Ebwelle George, a teacher at Government Bilingual Primary School Grade 1 Melong Centre and a committed community member, shared
“The community of Melong has welcomed the idea of the e-container. Every parent now wants their children in our schools to benefit from it. Sometimes parents come to the school to ask why their child missed their time at the hub, and what they can do to make sure they participate."
“Every week, my teacher brings us here to learn the sounds of the alphabet from videos and games. For mathematics, I have learned multiplication with the apps on the tablet. I want to tell all children to embrace ICT because UNICEF is here to support us to learn.”
Mme Bayiha Nicole, UNICEF’s focal point at the Delegation of Basic Education, highlighted the initiative’s broader impact. “UNICEF has made everything possible to ensure children in your schools can embrace ICT and digital education. I think it is up to you to mobilise the community to maintain this structure to ensure it serves its purpose: to bring digital literacy and inclusion into this community. I call on you to be ambassadors of the 'Connect My School' project and help us train the next generation of children to be included in the global ICT trend."
Co-funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid and UNICEF, "Connect My School" continues to improve the quality of education and bridge the technology gap in remote areas. It supports children’s transition between primary and secondary school, promoting numeracy, literacy, and digital inclusion.
Though over 2,000 children in Melong can now proudly say they’ve benefited from the Digital Hub, the journey is far from over. The pupil-to-hub ratio remains high, often requiring teachers to split classes into four groups, disrupting lesson flow and limiting the full impact of digital learning. Despite these challenges, the commitment remains strong. UNICEF continues working with partners and the community to expand access and scale up solutions.
There is an ongoing need for more donors like the European Union to invest in digital opportunities for children, especially those in remote areas who have limited or no access to digital learning tools.
