CNN Report on free Educational Videos from Gates Foundation supported Khan Academy

By Khalid Hashmani

A special CNN report was featured on CNN and repeatedly broadcast by CNN today (June 6, 2011) about the Khan Academy that offers more than 2,100 educational videos and 100 self-paced exercises on many academic and non-academic subjects. This wealth of educational materials is available for free downloads from Khan ACademy’s web site http://www.khanacademy.org/. The academy was founded by Salman (Sal) Khan, who has multiple degrees from MIT and an MBA from Harvard. Although the project is supported by Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, the academy is actively seeking donations from others including general public.

Bill Gates makes a brief but very strong pitch for the academy saying that not only he uses the videos to remind himself but  his children like them too. Bills calls the project as an “Educational Revolution” and urges every one to “check it out”.  A brief mission statement “Educating the world” is how Sal Khan introduces his academy.

The web site says “Too many people around the globe don’t have access to good education materials, or they are forced to learn through a system that doesn’t properly cater to their individual needs. We think the technology exists today to fundamentally change this, and we’re trying to build the tools and resources every student deserves.” The PBS News-Hour program also covered the Khan Academy sometime ago. A Forbes  report says that Khan Academy is designated as “A name to know in 2011”.

Each video is about 12-minute long and the site receives more than one million visits each month. The videos are available on a wide variety of subjects that include Basic Sciences and Mathematics (Algebra, Arithmetic, Calculus, Chemistry, Differential Equations, Physics, Geometry, and Trigonometry), Economics, Finance, History, SAT/GMAT preparation, and many other areas.

It is one of the simplest, easiest, and most effective web site that any one could find to educate themselves in several areas.

About Reviewer: Mr. Khalid Hashmani is a Washington DC-based human rights activist and participates in advocacy activities on behalf of rural Sindhis.