UNESCO launches platform for innovative solutions to learning

Accra, April 1, GNA – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has launched the Imagine Learning Africa platform to mobilize international solidarity and foster innovative solutions for education.

The platform is aimed at mitigating the immediate and long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning.

Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, Head of Office and Representative of UNESCO to Ghana said the platform and its related training components were a key milestone to a continuous teacher capacity building programme across Africa.

He said the platform would leverage digital tools and technologies to carry out teaching and learning.

Mrs Gifty Twum Ampofo, a Deputy Education Minister pointed out that through the support of the stakeholders and other development partners, Ghana was making steady progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal four of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

She said that support enabled Ghana host Television and Radio programmes for the continuity of learning for basic school children during the year-long school closures at the peak of peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, strengthen teacher capacity to participate in distance and remote professional development, as well as the provision of the necessary COVID-19 prevention kits to all public basic schools.

“Undoubtedly, the establishment of this online learning platform, Imagine Learning, will enhance avenues for our teachers to boost their knowledge and skills in many ways, which will eventually lead to quality improvements in our education system,” she said. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all spheres of life globally, in the education sector, with unprecedented massive school closures for several months across the world, during which learning activities were disrupted for children, young people and adults.

To address the situation, many West African countries made efforts to ensure continuity of learning through remote means. However, remote learning widened the gaps between the disadvantaged groups of the population.

Many African countries called on UNESCO and other international and bilateral partners for support to marry their national COVID-19 responses with related school resumption plans.

Some of those countries clearly indicated their willingness to involve UNESCO to design strategies in providing teaching and learning continuity to marginalized populations and to support teacher capacity building in distance learning for better and resilient education systems.

Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, represent 22 Percent of the primary and secondary learners in Sub-Saharan Africa.

GNA