Gateways to public digital learning
‘Gateways’ is a global initiative jointly run by UNESCO and UNICEF to help countries establish and improve public digital learning platforms. It seeks to ensure that public education extends into digital and online environments.
Announcements
Indonesia will host the next Gateway Study Visit from 1-3 October in Bali. Participants will learn about the digital platforms and content Indonesia has developed to support public education. All countries that are members of the Gateways Initiative are invited to send two representatives.
Actions
Create a global map to share and analyze information about existing public digital learning platforms.
Establish benchmarks to help countries develop and ensure the quality of digital learning platforms.
Profile and explain successful digital learning platforms to identify best practices.
Host in-person meetings to share lessons and practices from national contexts.
Monthly webinars for peer learning with professionals overseeing national digital learning platforms.
Build a repository of free & open content that can be incorporated into existing digital learning platforms.
Assuring the overlooked ‘key’ of digital learning
Unlocking the transformative potential of digital learning requires three keys: connectivity, capacities and content. Numerous international initiatives are working to make connectivity and devices more universal and to build the digital capacities and skills of children and adults. Content, however, is routinely overlooked. Gateways is a global initiative to help governments create, maintain and improve platforms that make free and high-quality digital learning content easy-to-find and easy-to-use.
Actualizing country commitments and international goals
The Gateways Initiative was conceived as part of the Transforming Education Summit and responds to its Call to Action on Digital Learning. It actualizes country commitments to (1) “establish and iteratively improve national digital learning platforms” and (2) “ensure these platforms empower teachers, learners, and families."
Supporting public education online
Too often public education stops where the digital begins. Gateways seeks to change this by making digital education content a public and common good. Public digital learning platforms provide spaces for education that are free, open, safe and secure – and, like schools, guaranteed by public authorities in line with the right to education.
To learn more about the rationale for Gateways, view the presentation below.
Study visit
Cairo, Egypt | 14-16 May - 2,5 days duration
In-person event
Send an expression of interest to gateways@unesco.org and gateways@unicef.org
Come to Cairo to exchange with professionals who oversee public digital learning platforms in different countries. The Egyptian hosts will share information about how they built and are expanding the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB), Egypt’s national digital learning platform. Launched in 2016, the platform serves tens of millions of learners, teachers, and families and also supports the research and higher education community. The visit will feature site visits to schools and universities to provide participants a sense of the ecosystem that exists around the EKB and how it supports learning and knowledge in various educational contexts. Participants will be invited to share experiences and recommendations from their countries to facilitate peer exchange, foster connections and cooperation across borders.
Gateways Dialogues
Upcoming Gateways activities
Digital Education Dialogue | 4 April, 3:00-4:30PM Paris time
Virtual event - Register
Join us for a conversation with the team that built the national digital learning platform in Egypt. Team members will share lessons they have learned developing, sustaining and enriching a public digital learning platform that supports education and research for tens of millions of students and teachers. During the webinar, you will learn how the team:
- negotiates with education publishers;
- guarantees perpetual rights to high quality content;
- selects and integrates applications and functionalities for schools and teachers;
- ensures platform security; and
- benefits the research community and makes Arabic language research easier to find.
Alignment with international goals and United Nations principals
Impact
Gateways catalyzes superior student learning, participation, and achievement, stemming from the availability and use of public digital learning platforms. It helps enrich and complement learning in classrooms, while opening educational opportunities beyond schools. The initiative further empowers teachers and families to use digital learning commons to support education in diverse contexts.
For countries and by countries
Countries are the primary beneficiaries of the Gateways Initiative. They work closely with UNESCO and UNICEF to advance and steer the initiative, according to their unique needs and objectives.
Become a Gateways Country
All countries are encouraged to become a ‘Gateways country’.
Gateways countries have access to a cooperative network of peers and international experts committed to sharing knowledge, content and technology to reinforce public digital learning platforms.
How to join
To join, a country sends a formal letter to UNESCO stating a commitment to advance progress towards the aims of the Gateways Initiative and designating a national focal point. There is no financial commitment. Consult the template letter.
Mobilizing global network of partners
In addition to countries, Gateways works with diverse organizations to help countries assure and improve public digital learning platforms. If your organization would like to be involved, please contact us.
