The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Office for Europe and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia jointly published the report “Connectivity in education: Status and recent developments in nine non-European Union countries".
This Report was elaborated within the framework of the ITU Regional Initiatives for Europe on broadband development (1) and digital skills (3), and in support of the priorities of UNICEF's LearnIn initiative in Europe and Central Asia, which operationalizes UNICEF's global Reimagine Education initiative in the region.
The Report Connectivity in Education offers an in-depth dive in nine countries of the European region, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine, as well as provides an aggregate regional perspective on connectivity in education.
It reviews the status of ICTs as drivers of i) digital skills development, ii) e-governance of education systems, and iii) smart and flexible education delivery at school and at home. For each country and at the aggregate level, it provides i) an overview of education systems and broadband markets at the country level, ii) an overview of government strategies in education and connectivity and the role foreseen for connectivity in education, iii) an account of multi-stakeholder partnerships and financing mechanisms for investment in school connectivity, and iv) an overview of the responses each country has undertaken to COVID-19 towards ensuring continuity of learning through ICTs.
This Report was presented and discussed on the occasion of a Regional Briefing organized by the ITU Office for Europe and the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia on 10 November 2021, inviting all relevant stakeholders in the region, including national representatives and regional actors of development. It was also held within the context of the UN Digital Transformation Group for Europe and Central Asia (UN DTG4ECA), and with the support of the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO). Learn more about the Regional Briefing by reading the Outcome Report.
The briefing aimed to generate concrete impact at the country level by pinpointing key gaps, stimulating the discussion on country level needs, and identifying possible actions to be undertaken to address remaining challenges. In line with the regional framework of the UN Sustainable Development System, this briefing provided an example of multi-agency cooperation strengthening the delivery of UN system in terms of accuracy, reach and impact at the regional level.
As a follow-up, the ITU Office for Europe and UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia will organize a series of national workshops upon the request of the Member States. These workshops will aim to provide a deep-dive into the country's situation, and seek to hold interactive policy discussions in order to identify concrete gaps to be addressed as well as identify partners to address these gaps and leverage expertise through different partnerships.
Since 2019, ITU and UNICEF have also been collaborating on Giga, an initiative to connect every school to the internet and every young person to information, opportunity, and choice. Giga uses an 11-step approach to work with partner countries to systematically help governments connect every school to the internet: Map; Connect; Finance; Empower. As of October 2021, Giga is connected 2900 prototype in 19 countries, mapped 1 million schools across 40 countries, and has directly mobilized 22M USD in resources. Though Giga is not currently active in the European Region (besides some data collection/school mapping activities in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina), Giga will continue to mobilize resources, including the launch of a 5B USD Giga bond, to expand and deepen activities into additional countries. ITU and UNICEF could deepen collaboration on resource mobilization opportunities for Giga within the EU donor community, as well as identify potential future Giga countries in the region.
For any queries, please contact: eurregion@itu.int
