On 10 November 2020, the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) participated in the Global Forum “ICT Education, Education via ICT” hosted by Huawei within the framework of the Global Final of the Huawei ICT Competition 2019–2020. The online Global Forum aimed to explore the future of ICT education through the exchange of ideas and successful practices of ICT education, and discussion of ICT talent development during and after the pandemic. It brought together the representatives of UNESCO and academic institutions from different countries of the world.
Mr. Zhan Tao, Director of UNESCO IITE, welcomed the participants during the official ceremony of the Global Final of the Huawei ICT Competition and highlighted the positive contribution of the company, which is an active member of the UNESCO Global Education Coalition, to digital education worldwide through the implementation of its TECH4ALL Programme and ICT Academy.
Ms. Svetlana Knyazeva, Chief of the Unit of Digital Pedagogy and Learning Materials, represented UNESCO IITE at the Global Forum “ICT Education, Education via ICT”. In her welcome remarks, she noted the important role of online education, which uses advanced ICT technologies in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April, 74% of students were unable to access education due to the pandemic, a number that has dropped to 13% as classes went online. UNESCO will continue to promote Global Education Coalition with more than 140 members, including Huawei. The Coalition will provide necessary resources, build digital learning management systems, offer online courses at scale, and set up mobile classrooms. It will also lobby for increased public investment in education and public-private partnerships for online learning in order to reduce the impact of the pandemic and ultimately achieve a more open and flexible global education system and Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Svetlana Knyazeva, Senior National Project Officer in Education, Chief of the Unit of Digital Pedagogy and Learning Materials, UNESCO IITE
The Global Final of the Huawei ICT Competition is an annual event aimed to provide students from all over the world with a platform to compete and exchange ideas, enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, and raise their innovation awareness. In addition, the competition opens opportunities for facilitation of communication between international talent, as well as collaboration between governmental organizations, higher education institutions, training agencies, and enterprises; thereby promotes the education, growth, and employment of ICT talent and builds a healthy ICT talent ecosystem.