Introduction
We are thrilled to announce that the Raspberry Pi Foundation (RPF) has been accepted as a member of UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition (GEC).
Initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when 1.6 billion learners were shut out of the classroom, the GEC aimed to provide continuity of education in times of crisis. Since then, the Coalition has grown into a global multistakeholder network, and we are proud to help drive education transformation and accelerate the path to achieving UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4 – Quality Education).
UNESCO’s vision to transform education for the world’s most underserved aligns with our mission at the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Being part of the Coalition enables us to work together to achieve this shared aim.
In addition to being part of the GEC, we have been invited to join the Digital Transformation Collaborative (DTC), a tech-focused subgroup that empowers educators and education leaders to include emerging technologies in their teaching practices and decision-making through capacity building and training.
Coalition achievements
We’re joining a coalition that has already achieved a lot. Having attended the GEC annual conference last week in Paris, Ms Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, stated that to date the GTC has:
- Helped over 858,898 youth develop skills that make them more employable
- Trained 794,580 teachers
- Offered learning resources to more than 1,000,000 learners studying foundational subjects, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
- Reached 2,459,192 of the most marginalised girls and women
Source: https://www.unesco.org/en/global-education-coalition
Whilst these are amazing achievements to celebrate, there is still more work to do, with Ms Giannini also highlighting that there are currently 251 million children and youth out of school and that 44 million more teachers are needed for universal primary and secondary education by 2030.
Digital Transformation Collaborative
Our commitment to the Coalition
The Digital Transformation Collaborative (DTC), which the Foundation has committed to support, aims to play a crucial role in shaping the future of education through technology. The group has established a framework structured around six core pillars:
- Coordination and leadership
- Connectivity and infrastructure
- Cost and sustainability
- Capacity and culture
- Content and solutions
- Data and evidence
Through our work at the Foundation, we believe we have the expertise to provide meaningful support through the sharing of our expertise across these issues. Many of these are challenges we work to overcome through the delivery of our programmes.
Conclusion
Joining UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition marks a significant milestone for the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Our mission to empower the underserved aligns with the Coalition’s goals. We are excited to contribute our expertise and resources to this global effort, driving forward the agenda for inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
I’m looking forward to writing more on our projects and initiatives within the GEC as we move forward and work together to transform global education.
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