Huawei and UNESCO Expand Opens Schools Project to New Countries

The second phase will run from 2024 to 2027 in Egypt, Brazil, and Thailand

PARIS, April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- UNESCO and Huawei yesterday launched Phase II of the Technology-Enabled Open Schools for All System (TeOSS) project at the UNESCO Digital Futures of Education Seminar, announcing that the second phase will run from 2024 to 2027 in Brazil, Thailand, and Egypt. The first phase already benefitted thousands of educators in Egypt, Ghana, and Ethiopia.

Aligned with UN SDG4, TeOSS aims to build more crisis-resilient, inclusive, and future-proof education systems by leveraging technology to provide digital resources, training, and policy support to educators and learners.

"In the face of an unprecedented digital transformation, education stands at the forefront, wielding technology not just to broaden access but to redefine the very nature of learning and knowledge for generations to come," said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO. "Thanks to partners like Huawei, we can harness this digital revolution to shape an inclusive, equitable, and human-centered educational future."

Open Schools Phase 1 recap

TeOSS Phase I ran from 2020-2024 in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana. UNESCO and Huawei supported the three African nations' ministries of education in designing, implementing, and evaluating open school systems in three pilot projects.

As part of this process, ministry representatives from the three nations shared progress, best practices, and experience of the first phase at the UNESCO seminar yesterday.

"The project aims to address educational challenges by integrating digital learning platforms and digital content that align with the curriculum and digital competencies of teachers. It also seeks to promote open education models through national digital learning policies," said Hegazi Idris, Advisor to the Minister for Literacy and Lifelong Learning, Ministry of Education and Technical Education, Egypt.

• In Egypt, TeOSS supports 950,000 K-12 educators through the National Distance Learning Centre.
• In Ghana, TeOSS has enhanced national education platforms for students and educators nationwide. In 10 pilot schools, the project has benefited 1,000 teachers and 3,000 students.
• In Ethiopia, TeOSS benefits 12,000 students and 250 educators in 24 selected pilot secondary schools.

Also at the UNESCO seminar, representatives from Brazil, Thailand, and Egypt discussed key national issues facing education and how Phase II of the TeOSS project can help solve them.

"Thailand launched Digital Thailand to achieve digital education through connectivity, content and competences," said Suthep Kaengsanthia, Permanent Secretary for Education, Ministry of Education, Thailand.

"Brazil set a target of universal connectivity for educational purposes in all public basic education schools in the country by 2026," said Barbara Bacellar Rodrigues de Godoy, Primary Education Project Management Consultant, Ministry of Education, Brazil.

TeOSS is aligned with the education domain of Huawei's digital inclusion initiative TECH4ALL, which aims to leverage technology to drive education equity and quality.

"Huawei is fully committed to working with UNESCO, governments, and all stakeholders to develop technology solutions that can enable an inclusive and sustainable digital world," said Liu Mingju, Director of the TECH4ALL Program Office at Huawei.