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Stay informed on UNICEF's work saving and protecting children around the world
Submitted by todemko on
The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the educations of more than 91 percent of students worldwide, exposing widening educational inequalities.
When schools shut down around the world to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, many switched to remote instruction. UNICEF got to work, keeping children learning through TV, radio and other innovative delivery methods.
The flexibility and interactivity of online instruction have made it a popular alternative when in-person classes are not possible, but two-thirds of school age children — at least 1.3 billion globally ages 3–17 — lack connectivity at home, according to a report by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union, How Many Children and Youth Have Internet Access at Home?
Even before the appearance of COVID-19, UNICEF recognized the need to address education for vulnerable children and digital exclusion.
In 2019, UNICEF and ITU launched Giga, a global initiative to connect every school in the world to the internet and every student to information, opportunity and choice by 2030. The benefit for children who can't access the web is life changing.
“Lack of connectivity doesn’t just limit children and young people’s ability to connect online, it prevents them from competing in the modern economy," former UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "It isolates them from the world."
The digital divide is more than a gap, Fore added, “It is a digital canyon."
As a result, they have fewer resources to learn and to grow and limited opportunities to reach their full potential.
Joaquin, 8, participates in an online learning activity at home in Jayapura, Indonesia, after his school was closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “I can still connect with my teachers while learning at home. If I have difficulty with the assignments, I can reach out to them and ask for help.” © UNICEF/UNI347236/Sumule
Working in partnership with governments, Giga is mapping the connectivity demand, using schools as a base point, and identifying where there are connectivity gaps. This information, combined with existing ITU mapping data, allows countries to take stock of their existing infrastructure and assess appropriate solutions for connecting schools. More than 1 million schools in 41 countries have been mapped through Project Connect, a mapping and connectivity monitoring platform.
In partnership with industry, Giga advises on the best possible technical solutions to provide schools with connectivity, and countries with safe, secure, reliable, fit-for-purpose infrastructure to support future digital development needs. Giga works with governments and advises them on building affordable and sustainable country-specific models for finance and delivery, subsidizing market creation costs and incentivizing private sector investment.
How has Giga helped specific countries so far? Some examples:
For UNICEF and its partners, COVID-19 makes it clearer than ever that reliable access to educational opportunities and the internet should be a universal human right. And the Giga initiative for connecting children and young people to the internet shows tremendous potential for return on investment:
"Digital technologies can dramatically improve the lives of people and communities and deliver on the promise of the United Nations Agenda 2030 to leave no one behind," says Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau.
Multi-stakeholder collaboration and partnership will be key to connecting the 2.9 billion people still off-line.
"We all have to work together and increase our efforts to bring technology to the people, in every area and every walk of life."
Top photo: Children work together on a shared tablet at the UNICEF-supported Debate e-Learning Center in a village on the outskirts of Kassala, the capital of the state of Kassala in eastern Sudan. © UNICEF/UNI322862/Noorani