Jescor Learning Center Primary School has emerged as the national winner of the WikiChallenge for African Schools organized by the Orange Foundation, with a grand prize of 2,500 Euros. The WikiChallenge competition is open to Orange Digital Schools located in countries where Orange operates and has established a foundation supporting a digital school program. It encourages schools to integrate digital learning into education and participate in content creation activities. While the competition is typically for children aged 9-13, the eligible age range was increased specifically for Liberia. Since 2017, the WikiChallenge has held annual editions, having previously taken place only in French-speaking countries.
The certification program held over the weekend in Duport Road, Paynesville, brought together school administrators, community dwellers, and parents to grace the occasion. Participating students were presented certificate as winners. Orange Foundation Senior Manager Uomah Brown Witherspoon said in 2023-2024, a pilot version of an English edition was launched in Sierra Leone for the first time, and extended to Liberia, Botswana, and Cameroon in 2024-2025.
She said the Orange Digital Schools and Wiki Challenge initiative is to bridge the divide and foster educational empowerment by providing underprivileged primary schools with access to digital learning tools and content, while simultaneously engaging students in collaborative knowledge creation and digital literacy development through contributions to Wikipedia.
The Orange Foundation Senior Manager said the program collectively aim to enhance educational outcomes, stimulate digital citizenship and equip the next generation with essential 21st century skills necessary for success in a rapidly evolving digital world. “Orange Liberia Foundation currently has 26 digital schools and has published an additional 11 schools covering 12 counties of Liberia, but brought only a few schools on board for the Wiki Challenge since it was their first year in the competition and their first experience,” she said.
She said from the onset, participating schools were: The Vine International Bilingual Primary School, Jescor Learning Center Primary School, Mary Lauren Browne Primary School, Liberia Renaissance Education Complex Primary School and Paynesville Elementary Primary School.
However, Witherspoon explained that only two articles from Liberia advanced to the main competition. The Vine International Bilingual Primary School submitted an article on Liberian cuisines, while Jescor Learning Center Primary School focused its article on the Duport Road Waterside. According to her, Sierra Leone has 15 schools and wrote seven articles, Cameroon, five Schools with three articles, and Botswana, seven schools with six articles, and all these countries have their national winner.
“We at Orange Foundation and Orange GSM are truly inspired to see schools where digital tools are not just present and accumulating dust but are genuinely integrated into the very fabric of learning, and we celebrate those digital schools that have embraced these tools as their own, demonstrating remarkable ownership,” she said. Madam Witherspoon urged every student, teacher, and administrator to make the best out of these opportunities and equipment as they prepare their students for national and international recognition.
Parents applauded Orange Foundation for the opportunities given to the Jescor Learning Center Primary School to participate in the competition and were proud of their children. On behalf of Jescor Learning Center, its Vice President for Administration said the winning of the competition shows that their effort was never in vain. She thanked Orange Foundation for the opportunity given to their school, students, and thanked the teachers who guided the students in making sure that their article was chosen as the best.
