The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) held the Information and Communication Technology for Education (ICT4E) Strategy workshop in Amman from 3 to 5 July 2023.

The workshop was opened by Julia Dicum, UNRWA Director of Education, and Kaan Cetinturk, UNRWA Director of Information Management and Technology, who welcomed the participants and assured them of UNRWA’s full commitment and support to the process of digital transformation of its services, including education. 

The workshop brought together senior management staff representing all the Agency’s five fields of operation to discuss plans and opportunities to advance the implementation of the UNRWA ICT4E Strategy.

The workshop was a moment to take stock of the achievements attained, progress made, and lessons learned to develop a forward-looking plan of action to address the challenges that remain for the effective implementation of the ICT4E Strategy.

Guests from UNESCO, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP), the International Bureau of Education (IBE), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNICEF, UNRWA Information Management and Technology (Gaza Field Office), UNRWA External Relations and Communications, the 60 Million Girls Foundation, and Milliweb engaged the participants online and in person, presenting initiatives and experiences related to digital transformation of education. 

UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General Leni Stenseth met the participants and encouraged them to be fully prepared for an agile implementation of the ICT4E Strategy in UNRWA schools and educational institutions, while exploring alternative solutions and opportunities for regional and global partnerships to increase synergies and collaboration.

“The integration of Information and Communication Technologies in teaching and learning is the younger generation’s expectation and is not an option for UNRWA anymore; it is a necessity”, she said.

The implementation of the workshop and the UNRWA ICT4E Strategy is supported by the German Government through the KfW Development Bank. 

In July 2022, UNRWA announced the launch of its ambitious Information and Communication Technology for Education (ICT4E) Strategy to support its students, teachers, and education staff in becoming independent actors, who can actively and critically engage with digital technology. The strategy is expected to serve over 540,000 Palestine refugee students and approximately 20,000 education staff in over 700 schools across the region.

During the workshop, the participants explored topics, such as digital pedagogy, ICT4E policy environment, different digital education models, sustainability, partnership and funding. Also, they discussed challenges to guide the operational plan of the ICT4E Strategy, and scope of activities over the coming period.