COVID-19 School Closures; UNICEF Announces New Education Platform

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - UNICEF, in partnership with Microsoft, has announced a new education platform titled 'Learning Passport' geared to aid children affected by school closures as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to Microsoft, UNICEF has also partnered with the University of Cambridge and its departments of Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment in providing education through a digital online learning platform. 

According to UNICEF, 1.57 billion students have been affected by school closures in more than 190 countries worldwide. As a result, the Learning Passport aims to assist in providing a national curriculum for children whose schools have been closed down by providing key resources for educators.

“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, we are able to swiftly deploy innovative, scalable solutions for children and youth,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, as quoted from UNICEF’s official website, on Wednesday, April 22, 2020.

During its initial 18 months development period, the Learning Passport was intended as an educational platform for displaced and refugee children. However, due to the global pandemic upending schools worldwide, the Learning Passport was then shifted to become a global resource for education. 

Thus far, countries such as Timor Leste, Ukraine and Kosovo, have all utilized the Learning Passport to teach their curriculum online in order to make education available at home. The learning material accessible by children through the Learning Passport includes online books, videos and additional support for parents of children with learning disabilities.

“UNICEF’s Learning Passport is uniquely positioned as a scalable learning solution to bridge the digital learning gap for millions of students to bring their classroom into their home during the pandemic,” said Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, as quoted from UNICEF’s official website.

The Learning Passport has identified three ways of providing education to its targeted students. First, the Learning Passport aims to provide education through a formal approach, with the aid of public and private schools in localizing educational materials to meet the country’s needs.

Furthermore, the Learning Passport has also identified existing non-formal educational institutions, such as NGO sponsored learning centers, and potential non-formal educational institutions, such as community and religious centers, as ways to reach their targeted children.

Currently, the Learning Framework has completed the curriculum framework necessary, as well as developing the technology platform required to facilitate online education. 

DIO SUHENDA | UNICEF