UNICEF, Microsoft Launch Global Learning Platform To Address COVID-19 Education Crisis

UNICEF and Microsoft Corp. on Monday announced the expansion of a global learning platform to help children and youth affected by COVID-19 continue their education at home.

The Learning Passport started off as a partnership between UNICEF, Microsoft and the University of Cambridge, and its departments Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Assessment, designed to provide education for displaced and refugee children through a digital remote learning platform. 

It has now undergone rapid expansion to facilitate country-level curriculum for children and youth whose schools have been forced to close due to COVID-19, according to a statement released by the IT major. 

The platform will also provide key resources to teachers and educators.

"From school closures, to isolation, to a persistent sense of fear and anxiety, the effects of this pandemic are impacting childhoods worldwide," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. 

"The adaptations made to the Learning Passport are a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together for children as the crisis deepens globally," she added

According to the latest data, 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 pandemic hit and schools were closed worldwide, the program underwent rapid expansion of its reach. Now all countries with a curriculum capable of being taught online will be able to facilitate online learning for children and youth with devices at home, the Microsoft statement said.

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 Passport. 

The content available to schoolchildren 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.

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