Implementing a system that parallels student needs.
INTRODUCING
Our proposal to remedy the situation with regards to low rates of school enrollment in Cambodia is to build a new system of incentives related to enrollment and participation in school. At present, the extreme levels of tourism in Cambodia has caused a marked decrease in school enrollment when students pass from their primary education to secondary education due to the short term benefits from selling souvenirs to tourists. While there may be a short term income gain from the sale of these items to visitors, the long term effects of dropping out of school is a perpetuation of the effects of poverty and a continuation of the cycle of poverty. Our proposal, therefore, puts forward a system of perks and incentives that will attract young persons from the tourism business to continue their schooling and to break the inevitable cycle.
Education that makes cents.
HOW IT WORKS
We have developed, using the new and innovative blockchain technology, a system to track and record students’ participation in school and to dole out rewards, which would be more attractive than the money gained selling souvenirs, in order to keep the students in school. Each student would be given a unique card to check in and out of school and, depending on the amount of time spent in school, would be awarded one of two virtual currencies.
That virtual currency, the CamboCoin (CCO), could be used to purchase extra alimentation, healthcare benefits and financial aid. The more the student attends school, the more CCOs would be awarded to the student. These perks would encourage students whose are food-insecure and financially depressed to remain in school. Students would be taught by specially certified teachers and would be presented with many opportunities to continue their studies or to specialize in a specific employment sector. In addition to the CCOs awarded to students for attendance and participation, KnowledgeCoins (KNC) would be awarded for academic excellence, providing even more opportunities for economically disadvantaged youth to pursue barrier breaking education.
All of the data would be stored using the Ethereum blockchain, which would guarantee several perks over the traditional server-client model. Every student’s data would be stored in a decentralized network of several thousand computers, reducing to possibility of government interference and preventing the possibility of system failure from a server crash; it would also be a system the allows for more transparency in a country notorious for corruption.
This system that we are proposing would encourage the youth of Cambodia to abandon the short term gain from selling souvenirs in favour of the long term benefits of a full and complete education.
LOCATION
THE ROLE OF CRYPTOCURRENCIES AND SMART CONTRACTS
One of blockchain's biggest advantages is its decentralization. Smart contracts utilize this technology to effectively facilitate, verify, and enforce an agreement made between parties. Our system is comprised of two smart contracts.
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Our first contract manages CamboCoin. These tokens are minted and distributed to students who attend school. When these tokens are claimed by families, they are burned from our total supply in order to regulate their circulation. Our second contract manages the KnowledgeCoin, distributed upon successful completion of a course. Let's go into a little more detail.
CAMBOCOIN (CCO)
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The Cambocoin is a token that students will earn by attending school. These tokens can be exchanged for different rewards, which range from health care subsidies, direct financial aid and food vouchers. These tokens will be accumulated based on a check in and out system, where a student will check in to school with a student card or bracelet at a kiosk, then would check out at the end of the school day to receive a set amount of Cambocoins in their digital wallet. The amount of Cambocoin varies by the student’s level of education. A student will receive 20 Cambocoins per day in primary school, 40 Cambocoins per day in middle school and 80 Cambocoins per day in secondary school. These Cambocoins will serve as an incentive for children in Cambodia to attend school, as this system ensures greater returns than selling souvenirs on the street. This daily collection system maintains an routine attendance at school for all students in Cambodia: giving them an opportunity to learn in a classroom from certified teachers. The Cambocoin reward system incentivizes education for all children aiming to break the cycle of poverty in Cambodia once and for all.
KNOWLEDGE COIN (KNO)
The Knowledge Coin is a micro credential token system to keep track of the courses taken by a specific student. A Knowledge Coin is added to a student’s digital wallet once they have complete a course at school which indicates the number of courses completed in our system. A set number of Knowledge Coins will be required to graduate from our education system and will serve as a way to ensure a minimum of completed courses in our education system. This micro credential system is beneficial for the education system as a student’s transcript will be immutable once they have completed a course which prevents corruption and meddling with student’s transcript. In addition, our system will have a positive impact in the hiring process, as an employer will have open access to the amount of Knowledge Coins a student has obtains and know the course loadout of each student. Each course will possess a specific comment and grade written by a teacher after the course has be completed to indicated the student’s ability and expertise in the subject area. The transparency of our walleting system can ease the hiring process for employers as they can look for students with a specific courses load and initially judge each student by their comment and grade obtained in a course. The Knowledge Coin micro credential tokening system ensures the completion of courses in our educational system as well as improves the hiring process for employers and students.
UNITED NATIONS
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
This project was created alongside the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to ensure that the implemented technology was for social good, a challenge brought to us by the Blockchain Learning Group.
Increased rates of class attendance will give a more highly education population.
Quality Education
Access to education will provide a sustainable solution to breaking the cycle of poverty.
No Poverty
This system of education will allow children equal access and opportunity to learn.