1.57 billion students from more than 190 countries are affected by the pandemic
From school closures to isolation, to a persistent sense of fear and anxiety, the effects of this pandemic are impacting childhoods worldwide. To dwarf the situation, UNICEF and Microsoft Corp. united for the expansion of a global learning platform to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their education at home. The Learning Passport is designed to provide education for displaced and refugee children through a country-level curriculum for children and youth whose schools have been forced to close due to COVID-19. The platform promises key resources to teachers and educators.
Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “We need to come together and explore every avenue to keep children learning and help them through this difficult time.”
With long-term partners like Microsoft, UNICEF is able to swiftly deploy innovative, scalable solutions for children and youth. The adaptations made to the platform are a powerful reminder of what can be achieved together for children as the crisis deepens globally.
No border solutions for no border COVID-19’s impact
UNESCO reported, 1.57 billion students have been affected by school closures in more than 190 countries worldwide. The Learning Platform has been in development for the past 18 months due to start as a pilot program this year. Now due to the global pandemic hit and schools were closed worldwide, the program underwent a rapid expansion of its reach. Now all countries with a curriculum capable of being taught online will be able to facilitate online learning for children and youth with devices at home.
Students continuing their education online can do so through a country-specific platform, accessed via their country’s learning passport.unicef.org page. The platform provides a digitized curriculum with textbooks and a selection of supplemental content, in country-wise national languages, that is jointly curated at the country-level to best serve learners’ and educators’ specific needs.
The platform “Learning Passport” is part of the Generation Unlimited Global Breakthrough on Remote Learning and Work that aims to use technology to address challenges faced by learners, facilitators, and education providers, particularly in conflict-affected and humanitarian contexts.
