The e-Learning platform for the Community Paramedic training is now open-source

In a bid to modernise the two-years community paramedic training and to make it accessible and affordable for all, ASTHA launched the national scale-up of the e-Learning platform with an open-source code on 18 April 2022. During an hour-long online go-live ceremony the link to freely download the platform was shared with the representatives of CPTIs and other stakeholders who have been involved with this initiative since inception.

The pilot phase of this initiative started in September 2021 with the objective of strengthening the capacity of CPTIs through digitalised course content which is available to students, without having to invest into new IT hardware. The inception and pilot phase had completed with partners, such as pedagogy partner Radda MCH-FP Centre (a CPTI in Dhaka), technology partner ADN Diginet. The prototype went live on 28 November 2021 to confirm that the teachers and students are open to learn online using blended methods given they have access to the right technology and the right environment.

First online education solution for healthcare training in Bangladesh

The e-Learning platform is, the first and only holistic online education solution for healthcare training in Bangladesh. The national scale-up made the source code of the platform completely open-source which is another step towards accessibility and to foster innovation and competition in the market. The decision to make the source code public is aligned with Swisscontact's inclusive systems development approach, giving equal opportunities to IT service providers and training institutes to choose, negotiate and pay as per their requirements and enjoy full ownership of the platform.

The platform is a highly configurable web application which is also available as mobile application and is a stable and user-friendly online tool for blended education. The CPTIs can now not only teach using modern IT tools but can also leverage this platform strategically to create a unique online presence for digital marketing and much more. By going open-source with the e-Learning platform for community paramedic training in Bangladesh, ASTHA has laid the foundation for sustainable and scalable online training system where both the market actors, CPTIs and IT companies can transact to create a long-term value chain for state-of-the-art training and skills development in the country.