Material Detail

'In developed countries, tablets and e-readers have become the solution to large, heavy textbooks. But for Philippine public school students, even the cheapest model is worth more than what their families make in an entire month. What if we could use these millions of old phones to create a new brand of textbook? Smart, the Philippines' largest telecom, took their mission to “make text light and easy” further than ever as we introduced SmartTXTBKS. Over six months, we collaborated with respected textbook authors and publishers to refine official school texts into 160-character text messages. These were then programmed into the inboxes of thousands of inactive surplus sim cards. Which were then repackaged into brand new Smart TXTBKS. So it turned even the oldest analog phones into a new kind of e-reader. And old text sim cards into a new brand of textbook. We launched it in partner schools that needed it most. And just a quarter after, this simple—and, in fact, low-tech—solution had made a profound, sustainable impact. With school bags 50 percent lighter, attendance was 95 percent while average test performance was 90 percent during the implementation period. And with petitions and pledges from schools and education sector members, TXTBKS is going even further, with plans underway for more subjects and grade levels; kits so schools can reproduce as many TXTBKS as they need for free; and a roll-out across the entire Philippines. Fulfilling Smart's mission to make text light and easy for all.'

 

The short video describes the project.  (The video was submitted to the Webby Awards and won