Tam-George calls on leaders to embrace digital education at UNESCO conference

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Tam-George made the call during a recent virtual conference hosted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), To assess the results of research on the impact of COVID-19 and e-learning on the education of young people in more than 70 countries around the world.

Reports show that the education of 1.5 billion young people around the world has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many resorting to online learning.

UNESCO seeks to document the experiences of young learners during the COVID-19 crisis as a basis for recommendations for educational policy reforms in the most affected countries.

Speaking at the conference, Tam-George noted that one of the lessons of the impact of the pandemic on education in Nigeria was the need to train teachers in digital education, in the design of the online learning and assessment.

Many teachers seemed unprepared for the sudden demands of online education, he said.

“We need a new educational playbook that prepares teachers for digital teaching, learning and assessment” Tam-George said, adding that “Rather than the isolated training of individual teachers by schools, we need deeper structural reform. Colleges of education need to develop a comprehensive curriculum to train teachers in digital education.”

Tam-George, who was appointed by UNESCO to serve as technical advisor at the conference, also called on African governments to expand broadband penetration across the continent, making internet access a right. fundamentals of citizens.

Research on the global impact of COVID-19 was conducted by young people as part of UNESCO’s Youth-As-Researchers (YAR) initiative.

Austin Tam-George is a communications and education consultant with a PhD from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He also attended IESE Business School in Barcelona, ​​Spain, where he studied Communication and Leadership.

Tam-George’s extensive multisectoral experience straddles the fields of education, government, oil and gas, and non-profit organizations.

For over 23 years, Dr Tam-George taught at various universities, including the University of Cape Town, South Africa, where he was Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow.

His work as an educator brought him into contact with students and professionals from over 70 countries.

In 2008, Tam-George worked as a research consultant with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) in its projects to monitor good governance across Africa.

In 2013, he worked with a team of special validators on community development and sustainability projects in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Tam-George also served in the government of Rivers State, Nigeria, as Information Commissioner. Its specific role was to develop and implement political communication strategies for the government and to help frame public policy.

This role has given him wide exposure to government officials at all levels, the diplomatic community, academic and research think tanks, policy experts, civil society organizations and multinational corporations.

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