The closing event in Addis Ababa brought together representatives of the Ministry of Education, UNESCO, Huawei, educators, education technology specialists and partners to review achievements, share lessons and discuss opportunities to sustain and scale the results. Implemented by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education, with support from Huawei, the Ethiopia component formed part of Phase I of the global initiative launched in 2020 in Ethiopia, Ghana and Egypt.
The project supported schools to use technology to improve the continuity and quality of education during both normal circumstances and periods of disruption, including the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related shocks.
Strengthening digital education and meaningful learning
In Ethiopia, the project focused on Grades 9 and 10, particularly science subjects and English, combining digital infrastructure, teacher capacity development, digital pedagogy and curriculum-aligned content. It supported 24 pilot secondary schools, reaching approximately 12,000 students and 250 educators.
In 2023, the schools received 480 tablets, 48 laptops, 48 Wi-Fi routers/access points and 24 smartboards to support technology-enabled teaching and learning. The project also developed an EdTech Training Manual and digital platform for online and offline training, with more than 350 educators trained, alongside a Digital Content Development Manual, ICT Integration/Implementation Guidelines for Secondary Schools and studies generating recommendations for technology-enabled pedagogy. An online Community of Practice enabled educators to exchange experiences and provide peer support.
A major achievement was the development of 150 multimedia-rich digital learning contents for Grades 9 and 10 in science and English, incorporating video, graphics, motion and interactive features. The content was designed to be curriculum-aligned, pedagogically sound, accurate, inclusive and accessible, while supporting scientific reasoning, experimentation and problem-solving.
At the closing event, Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Addis Ababa, emphasized the project’s people-centred approach:
