news & announcement
A Digital Learning Management System (LMS) Launched by ERIPHA
Eritrea is committed to providing high-quality healthcare and achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A key part of this effort is ensuring healthcare professionals are equipped with the latest knowledge and advancements. Recognizing this need, the Eritrean Public Health Association (ERIPHA) has made continuous education and scientific research a core part of its mission.
Redefining Health Education in Eritrea
Traditionally, health education has been delivered through in-person workshops, a method that, while effective for knowledge retention, is often financially challenging to conduct frequently. These sessions also have a limited capacity for participants, which can restrict knowledge sharing among colleagues.
To address these challenges, ERIPHA’s Continuous Education and Research Committee has developed a Digitalized Learning Management System (LMS). This system leverages existing information technology (IT) infrastructure across Eritrea. The LMS operates on Raspberry Pi devices, which were originally distributed to health facilities by the Ministry of Health to provide health education to patients. ERIPHA now plans to use these devices to host the LMS software, making continuous education more accessible for healthcare professionals.
Key Features of the LMS
This new system provides up-to-date information on recent developments in health, allowing teachers to plan courses, upload various educational content (videos, audio, files, web pages), and assess student knowledge through quizzes. The LMS also includes advanced features like discussion boards, wikis, and SCORM packages. Upon successful completion of course materials and quizzes, a certificate is automatically generated.
One of the most attractive features of the LMS is its offline functionality. Learners can download course materials to their mobile devices via Raspberry Pi and continue studying without network access, ensuring uninterrupted learning in all settings. For facilities without Raspberry Pi devices, the system can be installed on computers and laptops.
ERIPHA has completed the initial assessment of the system's capabilities and has drafted operational guidelines. The association has also reached out to other professional organizations—ERINA (Nursing), ERIMA (Medical), ERIAA (Anesthesia), and ERIPA (Pharmacy)—to form a Collaborative Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Committee. This committee is working on a new framework to implement the system across Eritrea, a step expected to significantly enhance the impact of the Digitalized LMS throughout the country’s healthcare sector.
This digital system has been registered in a creative idea competition, organized by National Union of Eritrean Youth and students (NUEYS). The project was successful in the first stage, second stage (Technical phase), and third stage (Business pitch). This competition will provide high visibility and drive implementation of the system across the country. The competition is still ongoing, and ERIPHA will provide updates on the competition.