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Harnessing mobile technology to achieve inclusive,
equitable, better quality education
Policy Forum calls for better mobile learning policy environment
Geneva, 11 March 2016 – A joint ITU/UNESCO Policy Forum on
mobile learning brought together for the first time Ministers of Education and
Ministers of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to examine the role
that policies and cross-sectoral collaboration can play in fostering innovation
and the use of mobile technology to improve the quality, equity and
accessibility of education.
Held under the framework of ITU’s
m-Powering Development Initiative, the Forum was a
highlight of this year’s
UNESCO Mobile Learning Week (MLW), which had the theme “Innovating
for Quality”.
The event featured a Ministerial High-Level Roundtable which looked at how
increasingly affordable digital devices can help address urgent educational
challenges and meet the needs of students, teachers and administrators.
Ministers also explored ways to create synergies between national policies in
the areas of technology, education, telecommunication and innovation.
During the Forum, participants from Latin America discussed how m-learning
was being used in the region to address key education issues such as literacy,
access and retention. An interactive dialogue between public and private sector
stakeholders was also held examining how to establish strong public private
partnerships for infrastructure provision, technical support and learning
resources development.
“ICTs will go a long way towards achieving inclusive and equitable quality
education and lifelong learning for all, as envisioned by the Sustainable
Development Goals,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. “The growing power,
affordability and ubiquity of mobile technology offers an unprecedented
opportunity for governments to make great strides in lowering the barriers to
education and connecting teachers and students to a wealth of resources via
mobile devices.”
“Meeting the full promise of mobile learning calls for supporting innovation
and scaling up what works,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. “To
succeed calls for comprehensive mobile learning policies and a shared political
framework encompassing access, equity and teacher training. By drawing a
bridge between telecommunications and education stakeholders, this Forum
provides a unique platform to build partnerships that foster mobile learning
environments that work for all.”
“This Policy Forum marks the start of an important collaborative effort
between the education and ICT sectors to design policies that will build
comprehensive and sustainable strategies for the digital learning revolution,”
said Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau.
“Using ICTs and mobile devices for learning is about empowerment. It is about
empowering teachers with extremely rich resources for improving their teaching
methods and allowing students to take a more active role in their own education
both inside and outside the classroom,” he added.
The MLW Forum comes just ahead of the 13th full meeting of the
UN
Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development in Dubai, UAE,
which will look closely at the role of broadband in education, among other
issues. The meeting is being hosted by Commissioner
Sunny Varkey alongside the annual
Global Education & Skills
Forum.
ITU’s
m-Powering Development Initiative is designed to give
advice and share recommendations on how to deploy ICT services, from m-Health,
m-Learning and m-Governance to m-Commerce and m-Sport.
UNESCO Mobile Learning Week is an annual event which brings together experts
from around the world to share how affordable and powerful mobile technology –
from basic handsets to the newest tablet computers – can accelerate learning for
all, particularly people living in disadvantaged communities.
For more information, please contact:
Monica Albertini
Communication Officer,
BDT
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Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information, ITU
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