Huawei Showcases Achievements Of "Technology-Enabled Open Schools for All" UNESCO Tie-Up

During the UNESCO-Huawei International Forum on Digital Platforms and Competencies for Teachers, Egypt's Ministry of Education officially launched the National Distance Learning Center for the Continuous Professional Development of Educators.

In his speech, Sobhi Tawil, Director of the Future of Learning and Innovation Team at UNESCO, welcomed the forum's attendees and praised the cooperation with the Ministry of Education in Egypt, emphasizing its role in supporting future horizons. I Photo: PR Newswire

The learning center was developed as part of the UNESCO-Huawei "Technology-enabled Open Schools for All" project, which has been running in Egypt, Ghana, and Ethiopia from 2020 to 2023.

At the beginning of his speech, Dr. Reda Hegazy, Minister of Education and Technical Education, expressed his delight at attending the forum and extended his thanks and appreciation to UNESCO and Huawei for their support. He also commended UNESCO and Huawei for choosing Egypt as a partner in the Open Schools Project.

Dr. Hegazy praised the accomplishments made by the Open Schools project in cooperation with the Professional Academy for Teachers and the UNESCO Office in Cairo, stating, "The Open Schools program has achieved notable progress in the education sector in Egypt. This includes capacity building, the development of enrichment training courses for teachers, various digital platforms, and the establishment of the National Center for Distance Education to enhance the skills of educators in Egypt."

Technology-enabled Open Schools for All (TeOSS)

In addition to the launch of the learning center, the forum explored best practices related to the TeOSS project. Implemented in partnership with the ministries of education in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana, the UNESCO-Huawei TeOSS project is piloting and testing digital education platforms in the three African nations.

It is also providing training in digital skills for teachers and students, developing policy frameworks for digital education, and evaluating the project's effectiveness with the aim of scaling TeOSS to other African nations.

For example, in Egypt, 300 teachers have received training in digital skills through the project, and the new learning center will enhance distance learning and digital literacy capabilities for 950,000 K-12 educators in underserved communities.

In his speech, Sobhi Tawil, Director of the Future of Learning and Innovation Team at UNESCO, welcomed the forum's attendees and praised the cooperation with the Ministry of Education in Egypt, emphasizing its role in supporting future horizons.

He added that the forum is part of Huawei's project to enable open schools and enhance digital learning competencies since 2020, contributing to the quality of education and ensuring access and continuity of education in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana.

Tawil also noted that Egypt was one of the first countries to implement the digital learning initiative and that the opening of the National Center for Distance Education in Egypt represents a significant step in digital transformation.

The TeOSS project is designed to blend online and offline learning to maximize education outcomes and ensure learning continuity in both normal and crisis conditions. For instance, as of January 2022, more than 616 million students were still affected by full or partial school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to UNICEF.

Building digital education capabilities at a national level can help mitigate disruptions to learning in unforeseen events.

Huawei's involvement in the project aligns with its long-term digital inclusion and sustainability initiative, TECH4ALL.

The education domain of TECH4ALL is committed to developing tech-driven solutions that can help achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

"Education is important for everyone, and our strategy is to improve digital skills for educators to address the challenges in Egypt. Let's work together to build a more inclusive and sustainable digital world," said Joyce Liu, Director of the TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Program Office for Huawei.

In addition to the launch of the learning center and the TeOSS project, the two-day forum explored best practices for building digital platforms and educator capabilities, international resource-sharing, and expanding collaboration in digital education.

The forum was attended by government ministers and senior representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana, as well as representatives from UNESCO and Huawei, TeOSS partners, and international experts.

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