Looma Education
Education for All in Nepal
What is Looma?
The Challenge
Many schools in developing nations lack the resources necessary to prepare students for the modern world.
Approximately 85% of Nepali students go to schools without reliable electricity and Internet access. Many village schools lack textbooks and teachers trained in modern teaching methods.
When the schools were closed in 2020 due to Covid, teachers needed an online alternative to classroom teaching.
The Solution
Looma is an innovative, complete education system that delivers a modern education for everyone, even those without reliable electricity, the Internet, textbooks, or trained teachers. More than simply "Internet-in-a-box", Looma includes the official Nepal government textbooks, as well as software that enables teachers to easily make lesson plans which integrate curated, open-source, educational media files.
Looma comes preloaded with thousands of open-source media files in Nepali and English, including Khan Academy courses, TED-Ed videos, Wikipedia for Kids, history timelines, interactive maps, interactive educational games, and videos covering all school subjects for grades 1 through 12.
Looma comes in three forms: Looma Online for anyone with good Internet, Looma Server for use in school computer labs, and Looma Box - a computer with built-in projector contained in a small solar-powered box - for anyone where power and Internet are not available.
Learn more about Looma in "World in a Box", Stanford Magazine
Looma Is Delivered Three Ways
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Looma's Impact
Looma Box Effectiveness in Rural Schools
In consultation with Nepali educators, Looma Education has developed proficiency tests which are given to students in 5th and 9th grade before and after a school year. These tests are taken by students with a Looma Box at their village schools, and also by similar students in similar village schools that have not yet received a Looma Box.
Early data collection, as well as students' and teachers' eager reception of Looma, predicts that Looma will be highly effective in increasing learning, engagement, and performance among the students.
For Teachers
Teachers, Looma is designed with your needs in mind. Do you need electrical power, or access to the latest Nepal textbooks and modern educational resources? Do you need an alternative to classroom teaching when schools are closed or when a student is out sick for long periods? Looma has what you need!
Looma, in all 3 forms - Looma Box, Looma Server, and Looma Online, contains all the national government textbooks as well as a large collection of engaging digital resources, including instructional videos, simulations, Wikipedia articles, and learning games related to each subject. In addition, Looma comes with software that makes it easy for you to find the relevant resources to augment your lesson plan. Many textbook chapters already have augmented lessons stored on Looma ready for you to use. Our goal is to have augmented lessons available for every chapter of every textbook.
For training on using Looma Box, or to volunteer to make lesson plans, or to make suggestions for Looma features, email teachers@looma.education
Looma's built-in lesson plans for each subject incorporate the latest best practices for teaching, including active learning.
"All of my science lessons can be taught using Looma so I have stopped teaching in my regular classroom and asked everyone to come to Looma's classroom for the science class. The resources and experiments here are interactive and understandable for the students to learn."
- Teacher, Kaska
"The school has created a schedule so that each student has the opportunity to study each subject using Looma, and students are pleased to learn from Looma since they can play games there. It enhances classroom interaction and enjoyment."
- Teacher, Lamjung
Get Involved
Partner with Looma
In Nepal, Looma Education works with local and international NGOs who are already present in schools. We are looking for more partners to expand our reach in Nepal.
Looma is designed to be adapted for any country. We are looking for organizations in other countries to lead in establishing Looma in new countries.
To explore partnering, email partners@looma.education. We look forward to hearing from you.
Volunteer with Looma
The Looma program is powered by volunteers. We currently need teachers, students, software developers, hardware developers, returned Peace Corps volunteers, and fundraisers.
Apply at volunteers@looma.education. We look forward to hearing from you.
Donate to Bring Education for All in Nepal!
Your tax-deductible gift helps move the needle for education for everyone in Nepal!
Donate via our secure form, or mail a donation to:
Looma Education
Tax ID: 84-3424916
999 Olive Street
Menlo Park, CA 94025
USA