UNESCO-Huawei Technology Launch enabled Open Schools

UNESCO and Huawei announced the launch of their joint project “Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All” (TeOSS). The project will be implemented in Egypt, Ghana and Ethiopia.

The project was unveiled at an online event attended by Dr. Reda Hegazy, Deputy Minister for Teachers' Affairs of the Egyptian Ministry of Education and Technical Education, Ms Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’S Assistant Director-General for Education, and key education officials from Ethiopia, Ghana and the People’s Republic of China.

“Egypt’s new education system 2.0 emphasizes the integration of technology into the educational process through multiple digital learning resources and platforms to ensure education for all and achieve educational quality and access,” said Dr. Reda Hegazy, Deputy Minister for Teachers' Affairs. “The teacher’s role has shifted from providing information to being a guide and facilitator of education through digital resources.”

The project intends to power the digital transformation of education and support UNESCO member states in building resilient education systems that can withstand global disruptions such as COVID-19. The multi-country initiative helps to advance the Sustainable Development Goal 4 on Education.

“This project is about building the digital futures of school education. It is defined by digital school models that make education programmes accessible for all students whether in times of crisis or not” said Stefania Giannini, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education. She added “This will be achieved by integrating digital learning platforms, curriculum-aligned digital content, the development of teachers’ digital competencies, and the mainstreaming of open schooling models through national digital learning policies.”

In Egypt, TeOSS will harness ICT solutions and practices to help build resilient teaching systems that link school and home-based learning. It will empower beneficiaries through enhanced connectivity, digital skills, and professional development over a period of three years.

Concretely, UNESCO Cairo office will support the establishment of a distance learning centre which will serve K-12 teachers, principals and supervisors. The center will be under the umbrella of the Professional Academy for Teachers (PAT). The project is envisioned to benefit 950,000 K-12 educators.

“Based on the partnership, Huawei – in cooperation with UNESCO – will provide its latest solutions to promote the vision of the Ministry of Education” said Vincent Sun, Huawei Egypt CEO. “The digital platforms that Technology-enabled Open Schools for All will create mean that learning never needs to stop – whatever the future holds,” said Kevin Zhang, CMO of ICT Infrastructure for Huawei. As a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition, Huawei and UNESCO will have the opportunity to support the state’s efforts to digitally transform the educational sector leveraging Egypt's Vision 2030.