[Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 14, 2023] UNESCO-Huawei Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All project (TeOSS) handovers ICT equipment for the Ethiopian Ministry of Education.
In the ceremony, Mrs. Ayelech Eshete, Ministry of Education state minister, reflected her deepest gratitude to UNESCO and Huawei for their unwavering commitment to education and for sharing their vision of a digitally inclusive society. She said, “I extend my gratitude once again to UNESCO and Huawei for their dedication to education and for this significant donation at this very critical time.” The state minister mentioned that this donation of ICT equipment will open doors to a world of opportunities for their secondary school students. “It will enable them to explore diverse educational resources, expand their knowledge beyond textbooks, and connect with a vast global network of information and learning experiences.”
Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director, UNESCO Liaison Office to AU, UNECA, and Representative of Ethiopia, said that, recognizing this immense potential, UNESCO, in partnership with Huawei Technologies and the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia, embarked upon the TeOSS project to reduce the digital divide, establish a crisis-resilient school system, and enhance the quality of equitable and inclusive education for all through the enhancement of the ICT infrastructure and capacity building of educators and education institutions focusing on secondary education.
Dr. Rita added “Today, we mark a significant milestone in this journey as we witness the delivery of the latest ICT equipment to secondary schools across Ethiopia. These schools, which have been carefully selected by the MoE and respective regional education bureaus as beneficiaries of this project, will now have the occasion to integrate technology into their classrooms, providing students with opportunities for enhanced learning, collaboration, and skill development.
The director added, “We are so delighted to deliver 480 tablets, 48 access points, and 24 smart boards with their own full accessories to be equally shared among the 24 beneficiary secondary schools in different regions of the country. All this equipment costs nearly 300,000 USD.”
UNESCO is assisting the Ministries of Education and other partners of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana in the implementation of a three-year (2020-2023) UNESCO-Huawei Technology-enabled Open School Systems for All project to design, pilot test, and scale up. This project aims to build technology-enabled crisis-resilient school systems that will make the comprehensive school education program (learning of knowledge, teacher-student interaction, and social caring) accessible from schools, at home, and in other places to ensure the continuity and quality of learning no matter under normal or crisis situations. Especially the schools in low-resource countries can be transformed into technology-enabled open schools and provide inclusive, equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The overall purpose of this project in Ethiopia is to empower the beneficiary country to transform secondary schools into technology-enabled, inclusive, and crisis-resilient open schools that can ensure the continuity and quality of learning for all learners, no matter whether in a normal situation or in the context of education disruptions caused by crises.
Regions that benefited from the project intervention are Addis Ababa City 2 schools, Oromia Region 3 schools, Afar Region 3 schools, Amhara Region 3 schools, Diredawa City 2 schools, Harari Region 1 school, Somali Region 2 schools, Sidama Region 2 schools, SNNPR 2 schools, Gambela Region 2 schools, and Benshangul Gumuz Region 2 schools.
UNESCO and Huawei collaboration are fruitful by the efforts made by the government of Ethiopia to empower its students and citizens to become active participants in the digital age, ensuring that they are well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future. In this collaboration, we provide access to information, communication, and technology tools and enable them to engage in cutting-edge educational practices, broaden their horizons, and unleash their full potential.
