Abstract—A mechanism has been developed whereby students receive rewards in a cryptocurrency, the SmileyCoin, as they progress in their studies in an open on-line educational system, the SmileyTutor, developed for personalised learning, not testing. The students’ study in SmileyLibraries, using tablets donated to the libraries by the SmileyCharity. They then use these coins to make purchases in stores, which are registered as services on the SmileyCoin blockchain. Students can also opt to receive a Universal Basic Income in SmileyCoin. The approach was implemented by the SmileyCharity in response to school closures due to COVID-19 and reached 5000 students in Kenyan slums and refugees camps as of June 2024. A SmileyGuide is placed in charge of the project within each SmileyLibrary. The SmileyCharity reimburses the SmileyGuides for the actual costs associated with the SmileyStores, effectively buying back the SmileyCoin. The blockchain is a critical component of the mechanism where reimbursements are made for students purchases in a non-trusted environment. 
 

Keywords—cryptocurrency, blockchain, technology in education, universal basic income

Cite: Gunnar Stefansson, Anna H. Jonsdottir, Bjarki Gunnarsson, and Jamie Lentin, "On-chain Services for Education in Slums and  Refugee Camps," International Journal of Learning and Teaching, Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 697-702, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.