ICT transforming education in Africa

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ICT Transforming Education in Africa is a 4-year project launched in 2015 to foster human and social development in Mozambique, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, through the use of information and communication technology (ICT), and, in particular, mobile learning. Beneficiaries are teachers and students, primary and secondary public schools, higher education institutions, policy-makers, educational administrators and leaders. It is part of the UNESCO-Korea Funds-in-Trust cooperation and has a budget of USD6 million.

The project aims to:

Increase access and quality of basic education through innovative ICT solutions
Strengthen higher education systems through Open and Distance Learning (ODL)
Facilitate the development of national ICT in education policies and master plans and knowledge-sharing, including supporting the Information for All Programme (IFAP)
Build a collaborative network of key education institutions, including relevant Korean institutions such as KNOU and KERIS.
Align with Education 2030 and national education development priorities to maximise synergies with other key stakeholders in education systems.
Ensure country ownership by establishing project teams led by education ministries and formed with key implementing agencies

The aims of the three target countries are:

Mozambique

Establish an e-school model to align learners’ competencies with the new national curriculum for primary and secondary schools
Make information on management administration available on-line and enhance communication between local community and schools, especially by strengthening ICT-enhanced education management and information systems (EMIS).
Transform the provision of ODL from a paper based model to blended learning models
Create an ecosystem that fosters knowledge societies and aligns with SDGs, particularly by improving ICT in Education policy.

Rwanda

Enhance the capacity of pre- and in-service primary and secondary teachers to provide quality education, by improving their skills to integrate ICT in education, and use electronic assessments.
Strengthen the capacity of the University of Rwanda to expand higher education through courses delivered via ODL.
Facilitate policy development and share best practices to build knowledge societies.

Outcome documents

Rwanda National Framework on MOOCs and OER, 2018
Anti-plagiarism policy, 2018
Mapping of ICT for Teacher Training Activities in Rwanda, 2017
Rwandan ICT Essentials for Teachers, 2017
Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy for the Rwandan ICT Essentials for Teachers Course, 2017
Certification Standards for ICT teacher training initiatives in Rwanda, 2017
Rwanda Knowledge Society Policy Handbook, 2017
A Study on teaching and electronic assessment methodologies for the KFIT project in Rwanda: final report, National Foundation for Educational Research, 2017

Zimbabwe

Strengthen e-education and ICTs in primary and secondary education, through an ICT-enhanced school model aligned with the new curriculum (including the e-School strategy, support for teachers, learning management systems, and e-Learning environment).
Strengthen the capacities of higher and tertiary education institutions to use diverse approaches to facilitate lifelong and open and distance learning, including through the digitalization of materials, introduction of blended learning, and innovative ICT solutions for ODL.
Create an enabling policy environment for the effective use of ICTs in primary, secondary, higher, and tertiary education.

The project was launched at the 2015 World Education Forum, in Incheon, Republic of Korea and is aligned with the Education 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDG 4), the Global Education First Initiative and the Qingdao Declaration on ICT and Education.