Ghana and two countries benefit from online learning platforms

Ghana and two other countries are benefiting from the implementation of the Technology-Enabled Open Schools for All (TeOSS) Project.

The other countries are Ethiopia and Egypt.

UNESCO and Huawei Technologies are the implementing partners of the learning platform.

Aligned with UN SDG4, TeOSS will serve as a basis for powering the digital transformation of the education sector and support the three UNESCO member states in building resilient education systems that can withstand global disruptions such as COVID-19.

A statement issued in Accra by the partners said evaluating project outcomes would help guide strategies and models for scaling out TeOSS at a national level and for expanding the project to other African nations to drive ICT integration into teaching and learning.

In addition to connecting schools, the TeOSS projects in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Egypt would provide training for teachers and students in the use of digital tools, establish online platforms to link school and home learning and develop digital curricula that could be accessed remotely without supervision.

The statement said it is aimed to help students become confident digital citizens capable of navigating the virtual world independently and equip teachers with the skills required to use existing and new digital tools to maximize learning outcomes.

“The project is designed to test schooling models that can respond immediately to new challenges imposed by the pandemic and also leverage technology to help enable the development of future models of schooling,” Ms. Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO said.

She said, “It is defined by a digital school model that makes programs accessible for all students, whether in times of crisis or not – it is a case of going beyond the current situation and opening a new horizon of teaching and learning.”

The Assistant Director-General said the plan in close collaboration with the governments of Ghana, Ethiopia and Egypt was in line with their existing national strategies and that the TeOSS projects were developed to meet specific local needs.

In Egypt, an ICT skills framework has been developed for teachers and students in K12 schools. Digital courseware development experts and primary and junior high school teachers will receive training and a National Distance Learning Centre will be established for use by educators nationwide to ensure continuity in professional development.

“Egypt’s new education system 2.0 emphasizes the integration of technology into the educational process with multiple digital learning resources and learning platforms to ensure education for all and achieve educational quality and access,” Dr. Reda Hegazy, Deputy Minister for Teachers' Affairs for the Ministry of Education and Technical Education in Egypt said.

“The teacher’s role has shifted from providing information to being a guide and facilitator of the educational process through digital learning resources,” Dr Hegazy added.

The TeOSS project in Ethiopia will focus on ICT infrastructure build-out to connect pilot schools, train teachers and students, and build a Learning Management System integrated with a Teacher Training Platform.

“Ethiopia understands very well the need for ICT and digitalization in our future schooling system to deliver quality and inclusive education equitably for all, without any disruptions, as stipulated in our new education sector roadmap,” Dr. Fanta Mandefiro from the State of Ministry of Education of Ethiopia said.

“This project is perfectly aligned with our aspirations and the activities of our programs and initiatives for utilizing digital content in our education system,” he said.

In Ghana, the focus is on creating digital content for all subjects as well as providing training for teachers and students at Primary and JHS schools.
The project will also build an e-repository that teachers can use to upload content and which learners can access online and offline with little or no supervision.

“I am glad to note that this UNESCO-Huawei are building on the already established partnerships and collaborative efforts with our national institutions, particularly CENDLOS, an institution mandated by the Government to facilitate the integration of ICT into the education system across the board,” Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education for Ghana said.

TeOSS is aligned with the Tech4Edu domain of Huawei’s digital inclusion initiative TECH4ALL, which aims to drive education equity and quality with technology.

“The digital platforms that Technology-enabled Open Schools for All will create mean that learning never needs to stop – whatever the future holds,” Mr Kevin Zhang, CMO of ICT Infrastructure for Huawei said.

“Huawei is fully committed to working with UNESCO, governments, and all stakeholders to deliver successful, sustainable, and scalable projects,” Mr Zhang said.