ONE THOUSAND primary students in Metro Cebu received free digital remedial classes in math and reading to make up for the learning losses worsened by the Covid19 pandemic.

These children are the beneficiaries of the Kiddie Learning Train, a project led by advocacy group Philippine Business for Education, in partnership with Accenture Philippines.

Those who received remedial classes were kinder to Grade 3 students who were recommended by the Department of Education and youth groups in Metro Cebu. They came from the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay.

Each beneficiary received provisions including a school kit, P1,200 load card allowance for mobile internet, Globe SIM card and one tablet installed with the Kitkit School learning app.

Developed by Enuma, Inc. in 2019, Kitkit School won the prestigious Global Learning XPRIZE competition funded by Elon Musk that sought for software solutions to tackle the global literacy crisis.

To make the learning from the app more engaging, math and reading lessons were embedded in interactive games designed for early grade school students.

The beneficiaries are required to use the app for at least one hour a day for two months to ensure learning sustainability. The students will be required to undergo the app’s pre-assessment and a post-assessment to evaluate their progress.

About 200 volunteers were mobilized to guide and monitor the beneficiaries on a weekly basis. These volunteers underwent training sessions led by Tiny Labs, an organization that builds and designs educational experiences for students aged 0-12, for proper facilitation of the children.

The volunteers were also provided with Globe SIM cards and P1,200 internet load allowance to virtually meet with their students.