Digital Tablet Desk (Single)

Article 28 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child has the right to a formal education. In Sudan, over 2 million internally displaced persons and nearly 1 million asylum seekers and refugees are being hosted. 61-65% of these individuals are children, and approximatively 1.7 million are school age children. In 2011, War Child Holland instigated the ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ programme (CWTL) to develop culturally sensitive educational games for children who have never seen a teacher as a result of armed conflict. A scaled trial phase in Sudan (2014-2015) identified an unmet user need. The absence of a traditional classroom and furniture in rural Sudan compelled young e-learners to use their tablet devices for prolonged periods while floor sitting. This research study in conjunction with War Child (since 2016) investigates the performance requirements for a novel digital tablet desk (DTD) to address the ergonomic issues associated with prolonged floor sitting/ tablet use. The primary objective of the research was, (1) to co-develop with end users a CWTL:DTD that improves comfort and posture, (2) to adopt a reductive approach to design, (3) to determine a production specification to ensure local manufacturers conformed with essential technical, performance and quality requirements. In conjunction with Sudanese Ministry of Education, War Child’s scale-up pilot in Kasalla provided an opportunity to test with young learners and CWTL facilitators: preferences for single or dual desks, alternative seating configurations and options for securing tablet devices. The findings from this research project will determine an optimal solution that is sympathetic to the environmental conditions found in rural Sudan and challenges associated with its manufacture by a low-skilled workforce.