Applications Invited for UNESCO Prize for the use of ICT in Education to ensure Continuity & Quality of Learning

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UNESCO Prize for the use of ICT in Education: Call for nominations now open to projects ensuring the continuity and quality of learning

About the Organization:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris. They declared purpose is to contribute to promoting international collaboration in education, sciences, and culture in order to increase universal respect for justice, the rule of law, and human rights along with fundamental freedom proclaimed in the United Nations Charter.

Theme 2020: The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance the continuity and quality of learning

Technology innovations fuelled by Artificial Intelligence (AI) have the potential to locate and reach excluded and marginalized groups and provide relevant learning programmes for learners who are in crises and emergencies; accurately  analyse difficulties faced by students studying in a language other than their mother tongue and facilitate the learning of foreign languages; and facilitate cost-efficient access to quality learning opportunities for large numbers of learners with physical and cognitive disabilities. Moreover, they can support teachers with a better diagnosis of learning problems and personally adaptive feedback to improve pedagogical responses.

To ensure the quality of learning for the marginalized groups and to keep pace with the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4, UNESCO aims to mobilize its partners to steer the use of AI toward inclusion and equity, and integrate technology innovation as one key pillar of inclusive and crisis-resilient education systems.

In 2020, the Prize will award scalable AI-powered solutions or technology innovations that have proven effective in improving learning outcomes of marginalized groups while ensuring ethical and equitable use of these technologies in education.

Who can apply?

• Individuals, institutions, non-governmental organizations or other entities.

Eligibility criteria

• The project should be ongoing for at least for 1 year
• The project and its organization should not be affiliated to UNESCO or receive any funding from UNESCO
• The technology solutions used by the project should be designed completely for public good or for charitable purposes, meaning that they should not be the free parts of commercial applications or application packages that only offer limited functions free of charge while requesting users to pay for advanced functions

Selection criteria

• Relevance to the Thematic Focus: The project is in line with the objectives of the Prize and is relevant to the specific theme of the year
• Innovation: The project applies innovative technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enhanced solutions or blends AI and conventional technologies in a new innovative way
• Evidence of Impact: The project should provide evidence of improved learning outcomes of the targeted beneficiaries
• Potential for Replicability and Scalability: The project should show evidence that it can be replicated in other contexts or have the potential to further optimize and scale its impact
• Inclusion and Equity: The project should use AI or innovative technologies to advance inclusion and equity in education, while taking into account marginalized groups, leaners in crises and emergencies contexts and learners with physical or cognitive disabilities

Timeline:

• September 2020: Launch of the call for nominations
• 18 December 2020: Deadline for submissions
• January 2021: International jury meeting
• April 2021: Award ceremony

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