Ukraine will become one of the first three countries where Learning Passport online educational platform will work
Ukraine will be one of the first three countries in the world where the Learning Passport, a global online educational platform launched by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Microsoft Corp., will launch. A service designed to overcome the educational crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic will work in May 2020.
“A new challenge for the education system is the development of such tools and solutions for distance learning that would be convenient and understandable for all teachers and students. We support the launch of the Learning Passport platform for Ukraine. After all, these are new opportunities for the education of our citizens as in quarantine, and after its completion”, – said the acting Minister of Education and Science Lyubomira Mandziy.
The Learning Passport platform is the result of a partnership between UNICEF, Microsoft, and Cambridge University. From the beginning, it was designed for online distance education for refugee and displaced children, and its launch was scheduled for 2020. However, the resource’s functionality has been significantly expanded to help educate children and youth in distance learning, which was introduced due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The platform content for Ukrainian children and youth will be available in May 2020. It will include online books, videos, and additional support for parents of children with special educational needs.
“Schools are closing down, children are becoming isolated, experiencing fear and anxiety – the consequences of this pandemic are affecting children around the world. We need to come together and take into account all possible ways to help our children get through these difficult times. With our long-standing partners, such As Microsoft, we can quickly provide innovative and adaptable solutions for children and youth. Adaptation of the Learning Passport platform is a reminder of how much we can achieve for children together with our partners at a time when EC deepens globally”, – said Henrietta For, Executive Director of UNICEF.
According to the latest data from UNESCO 1,5 billion of pupils and students in 190 countries are experiencing the consequences of school closures. Now all countries where the curriculum can be uploaded remotely will be able to organize online training for children and youth who have the necessary equipment at home.
For each country, the platform provides online curriculum resources and additional materials in their native language. These materials have been selected by experts to best meet the needs of students and teachers.
“The impact of COVID-19 on life has no limits, so our response must also have no limits – it requires cooperation between the public and private sectors in order for each student to continue their studies. The Learning Passport platform, created jointly with UNICEF, has unique functionality “It offers flexible learning solutions that can be scaled with digital technology, and thus help millions of students transform their homes into classrooms during a pandemic”, – said Brad Smith, the Microsoft President.
In Ukraine, the Learning passport platform will also be used to create an online resource for self-education and non-formal education, namely to disseminate programs for the development of social and emotional skills among adolescents. As part of the project, a digital version of the UPSHIFT curriculum will be created, aimed at developing entrepreneurial skills among adolescents and youth as agents of social change, as well as providing opportunities for implementing their own initiatives on social entrepreneurship.
The platform will also offer access to educational and didactic resources created for all participants in the educational process in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Information
Learning Passport is part of the Generation Unlimited distance learning partnership that aims to use technology to address the challenges students and educational institutions face, including in conflict and humanitarian contexts.
Generation Unlimited is a global partnership designed to prepare young people to become active and active citizens. The goal of Generation Unlimited is to ensure that young people aged 10 to 24 years, in one form or another, study, get training or work.
Source: МESU
