One of the more interesting aspects of the modern web economy is the ability for talented people to transmit their expertise regardless of their location.  It’s meant things like Khan Academy have streamed their tutorials to millions around the world, TED videos have been viewed over a billion times, and MOOCs have made stars out of the best lecturers.

That’s obviously great if you’re one of those that this amplification has made famous, but a slightly more warming side of the story is that it’s brought expertise into the lives of those who would normally be disenfranchised, and who might suffer from a lack of such resources in their own countries.

A nice example for instance was the success of the MOOC launched on the Alison platform that helped to deliver Ebola advise and assistance to residents in west Africa.

Nowhere is this more so than in education.  We’ve seen with the famous Sugata Mitra experiment that children in rural villages are dying to learn and enrich themselves, if they’re only given the opportunity.

His experiment famously placed a computer terminal in such a village, but a new project called Making Ghanaian Girls Great is aiming to go one step further.

The project is currently in a two year pilot phase and sees lessons streamed into remote parts of Ghana in a bid to provide schooling to those currently deprived of the opportunity.

Each lesson is filmed in a central studio in Accra, and streamed live throughout the country.  Two way video conferencing facilities allow students to receive an interactive class for two hours each day.

Each classroom is equipped with a webcam, computer and a satellite to facilitate the experience, with local helpers on hand to provide support and mentoring in addition to the remote tuition.

The learning doesn’t end in the classroom either.  Afterwards, each school has a ‘Wonder Woman’ club whereby female role models are profiled for the class, with students encouraged to quiz each participant to learn more about their lives.

There are currently 72 schools throughout Ghana participating in the scheme, which means that some 4,000 girls are currently receiving an education they probably wouldn’t otherwise receive.

It’s a nice example of the kind of projects that are allowing people in more developed nations to stream their expertise to more under-privileged parts of the world.  We’ve seen similar projects in areas such as healthcare.

All in all, it’s a wonderful project, and well worth checking out.