New Instant Network Schools open in Mozambique, expanding access to digital education for refugees

Vodafone Foundation, Vodacom Mozambique Foundation and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have opened six new Instant Network Schools (INS) in Mozambique, connecting thousands more students, teachers and refugee host communities to life-changing digital education.

The INS programme is a ‘school in a box’, transforming classrooms into digital learning hubs with internet, digital devices, and digital learning content pre-loaded onto tablets in local languages. For many, this may be their first experience with technology, and it opens the doors to new digital skills, possibilities and futures.

So far, over 91,000 students have benefitted from Instant Network Schools in Mozambique. The new classrooms bring the total number in Mozambique to 26.

The benefits of INS go far beyond the classroom. Teachers receive specialised training to integrate digital resources into lessons, boosting their confidence and introducing them to interactive teaching methods. Many have never had an opportunity to use tablets, laptops, projectors and speakers before, so they gain new skills that they can pass on to students and other teachers in the community.

Every Instant Network School is supported by a coach, like Safi. Coaches are essential to the school’s success - mentoring teachers and students, maintaining the kit, and encouraging a culture of digital literacy to grow within the community.

Crucially, many Instant Network Schools frequently remain open after hours. Students also often stay later to continue studying or connecting with the wider world. Beyond this, the schools welcome other members of the community to come and learn about technology and to develop their digital skills.

INS is more than just transforming classrooms. When communities take ownership of the classrooms and use them to connect and learn, they build brighter futures for all.

Safi’s story in Mozambique: