UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini said digital technologies, focused on inclusion and equity, could transform the future of school systems and learning.
“It is imperative to harness technology and change education models,” Giannini said during a side event on the UNESCO-Huawei “Technology-Based Open Schools for All” project at the COP27 conference on climate change in Egypt.
Giannini said the project in partnership “can help countries rethink and build a new generation of schools and learners” as young people increasingly face the challenges and risks caused by climate change.
The event, dedicated to a partnership developed by the UNESCO education sector with Huawei and the ministries of education of Egypt, Ethiopia and Ghana, also presented the preliminary results of the schools opened in the three African countries.
“Aiming to leave no one behind in the digital world, enabling equity and quality in education is one of the four focus areas of the Huawei TECH4ALL digital inclusion initiative,” said Catherine Du, Head of Huawei’s TECH4ALL program.
She added: “Furthermore, we believe that ICT is a key enabler for a greener world with approaches such as carbon reduction, renewable energy, circular economy and nature conservation through technology”.
Working with over 20 different partners, TECH4ALL’s education program has helped connect schools, promote digital skills and support the STEAM curriculum for K12 students and teachers in over 400 schools worldwide, as well as for unemployed young and old people.
Since 2021, the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education, in cooperation with UNESCO and Huawei, has organized several meetings to prepare and review project documents.
“I would like to underscore the critical need for collaborative efforts among all stakeholders to ensure not only equitable access to educational resources, but also to fulfill social obligations to students,” Dr. Hegazy said.
In Egypt alone, the joint UNESCO-Huawei project aims to empower 950,000 teachers, principals and supervisors to integrate ICT more effectively into their daily practice.
Ultimately, 23 million students at the basic education level in the country are expected to benefit from an improved and more equitable digital learning experience.
Huawei has operated in Africa for more than 20 years, helping to connect more than one billion people in more than 50 African countries, as part of the company’s overall commitment to help bridge the digital divide and enrich the people’s lives.
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