UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE) participated in the round-table conference “Information and Communication Technologies in Education” within the framework of the VII Festival of Education – 2019: “The Digital Generation of Kyrgyzstan: ICT in Education and IT Education”. The event took place on 13 April 2019 and was hosted by the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
The round-table conference was organized by “Roza Otunbayeva Initiative” International Public Foundation and IT Academy, powered by UNESCO and the “Soros Kyrgyzstan” Foundation, to contribute to the achievement of SDG4 «Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all» through promoting ICT in educational institutions of the modern Kyrgyz Republic and sharing experiences, knowledge and best practices among representatives of the public sector, educational community, international organizations and experts in promoting ICT use in education.
The round table participants included officials from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek City administration, Kyrgyz Educational Academy, Republican Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining Pedagogical Workers under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, Kyrgyz Software and Services Developers Association, representatives of higher education establishments, vocational schools and colleges, principals of general education institution of Kyrgyzstan, heads of ICT expert organizations and international advisors.
The UNESCO IITE presentation «Learning for the Future: Capabilities and Prospects of ICT for General Education» specified the Institute’s main areas of activity in integrating ICT and Innovative Pedagogy into general education system. The report highlighted UNESCO IITE projects, including projects in the Kyrgyz Republic, on the implementation of advanced ICT-based approaches for education accessibility and quality enhancement.
Within the context of the event, the UNESCO IITE representative held a meeting with the Director of the Republican Institute of Advanced Training and Retraining Pedagogical Workers under the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, where the parties discussed opportunities for cooperation in the area of professional development of pedagogical staff in the Kyrgyz Republic, including teacher ICT-capacity building.