Case Study: Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) sustains remote learning in Uganda and Zambia during COVID-19 with SITA

SITA ATC Foundation funds remote learning in Uganda and Zambia during COVID-19

Promoting Equality in African Schools (PEAS) faced the sudden challenge of keeping secondary students learning after COVID‑19 forced school closures across Uganda and Zambia, where internet, electricity, and devices are often unavailable. SITA, through its ATC Foundation, had originally committed funds for ICT suites, server upgrades and teacher training but reallocated the grant to support PEAS’ COVID‑19 education emergency response and remote learning initiatives.

SITA’s ATC Foundation funded low‑tech, high‑reach solutions: PEAS partnered with radio to broadcast 600+ hours of curriculum‑aligned lessons, sent over 324,000 SMS messages in Uganda, teachers made 21,661 phone calls, and distributed 20,000 printed learning packs. The interventions reached 82% of students in Zambia and 73% in Uganda; 97% of Zambian students who received calls found them useful, students receiving both SMS and calls reported feeling supported three times more often, and 98% found the learning packs useful — while SITA also funded cleaning supplies and reopen checklists to enable safe returns to classrooms.

Promoting Equality in African Schools