Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 16 COMMERCIAL UNICEF, Microsoft launch global learning platform As school closures in more than 190 countries force over 1.57 billion students from their classrooms, the Learning Passport aims to keep children learning UNICEF and Microsoft an- nounced the expansion of a global learning platform to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their edu- cation at home. The Learning Passport start- ed off as a partnership between UNICEF, Microsoft and the University of Cambridge, and its departments Cambridge University Press and Cam- bridge Assessment, designed to provide education for dis- placed and refugee children through a digital remote learn- ing platform. It has now under- gone rapid expansion to facil- itate country-level curriculum for children and youth whose schools have been forced to close due to COVID-19. The platform will also provide key resources to teachers and edu- cators. "From school closures, to iso- lation, to a persistent sense of fear and anxiety, the effects of this pandemic are impacting childhoods worldwide," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Exec- utive Director. "We need to come togeth- er and explore every avenue to keep children learning and help them through this difficult time. With long-term partners like Microsoft, we are able to swiftly deploy innovative, scal- able solutions for children and youth. The adaptations made to the Learning Passport are a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together for chil- dren as the crisis deepens glob- ally." According to the latest avail- able data from UNESCO, 1.57 billion students have been affected by school closures in more than 190 countries worldwide. The Learning Passport, which has been in development for the past 18 months, was due to start as a pilot program this year. When the global pandem- ic hit and schools were closed worldwide, the program un- derwent rapid expansion of its reach. Now all countries with a curriculum capable of being taught online will be able to fa- cilitate online learning for chil- dren and youth with devices at home. Kosovo, Timor-Leste and Ukraine – which have closed their school gates in the past weeks to help halt transmission of the virus – are the first to roll out their online curriculum through the Learning Pass- port. The content available to schoolchildren includes online books, videos and additional support for parents of children with learning disabilities. "Just as COVID-19's impact has no borders, its solutions must not have borders, as it re- quires the collaboration across public and private sectors to ensure every student stays en- gaged and continues learning," said Brad Smith, president of Microsoft. "UNICEF's Learning Passport is uniquely positioned as a scal- able learning solution to bridge the digital learning gap for mil- lions of students to bring their classroom into their home dur- ing the pandemic." Children and young people continuing their education on- line can do so through a coun- try-specific platform, accessed via their country's learning- passport.unicef.org page. The platform for each country pro- vides a digitised curriculum with textbooks and a selection of supplemental content, in na- tional languages, that is jointly curated at country-level to best serve learners' and educators' specific needs. The Learning Passport captures a record of the curriculum subjects each student learns and guides learners with little additional support needed. The Learning Passport is an example of how UNICEF part- ners with business – based on a shared-value approach, where producing social value and addressing its challenges also makes perfect business sense. The Learning Passport is part of the Generation Unlimited Global Breakthrough on Re- mote Learning and Work that aims to use technology to ad- dress challenges faced by learn- ers, facilitators and education providers, particularly in con- flict-affected and humanitar- ian contexts. Generation Un- limited is a global multi-sector partnership to meet the urgent need for expanded education, training and employment op- portunities for young people.