The 19th Session of the IITE Governing Board (GB) was held virtually on 23 November 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, the Chair of IITE GB opened the Session by thanking and welcoming GB members and representatives from all over the world with ten time zone differences. In her statement, Ms. Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Education expressed her gratitude to the Government of the Russian Federation and IITE GB Members for their support to the Institute. She also emphasized IITE’s important role during the pandemic and encouraged IITE staff for more joint projects in the future. The Russian Government was represented by the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Their statements included comments, suggestions and commitment of continued support to the Institute.
Members of the IITE GB approved the report by Mr. Tao Zhan, Director of IITE on the activities of the Institute during 2019-2020, financial report of the Institute and Programme work plan for 2020-2021. All GB members stressed that IITE had done impressive work during COVID-19 pandemic collectively with its global partners in supporting teachers, students and parents during school and university closure. During the Session, the Chair and GB members also provided further comments on IITE’s future programme priority and focus, collaboration with its host country and other relevant issues.
The IITE Governing Board usually meets at least once a year to define the general policy of the Institute, to approve the IITE Programme Activities and Budget as well as to provide guidance on the Institute’s operations.
The UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) is administered by a Governing Board, which consists of 11 members appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO on a geographical distribution. Members are chosen for their eminence in the field and sit in a personal capacity. The current members can be found here.